Transfer news: Jose Mourinho refuses to comment on Wayne Rooney interest but confirms two offers made for Kevin De Bruyne

Rooney was the subject of two offers from the Blues in the summer but Mourinho neither confirms nor denies a renewed interest in the England star

Jose Mourinho has refused to comment on reports that Chelsea could renew their interest in Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, although he did confirm that the club have had two offers for want-away midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.

The Blues mounted an unsuccessful pursuit of the England international in the summer, and their lack of goals from the trio of strikers available to Mourinho has highlighted why he felt the need to land Rooney.

Rooney has 18 months left to run on his contract, but Mourinho stressed the need to respect that agreement and refused to speak about any interest coming from Stamford Bridge.

“I don't want to speak about it,” Mourinho said.

“We play Man United in a few days. I don't think it's nice to speak about a Man United player.

“You have to ask him (Rooney). You have to ask the player. And Man United because Man United has a contract with the player that doesn't end at the end of the season.”

Mourinho was speaking in a pre-match press conference at the same time as David Moyes confirmed that he had sent Rooney for “warm weather recuperation” to aid is recovery from a groin injury.

He will head off on the trip with his family and fitness coach Tony Strudwick, which puts his participation in next weekend’s match against the Blues in serious doubt.

With United looking to avoid their first four-game losing streak since 1961 in Saturday’s visit of Swansea, the absence of both Rooney and his partner in crime Robin van Persie could be hugely felt by the reigning Premier League champions.

Despite their troubles though, Mourinho predicts they will have no problem in finishing in the top four, and maintains that you cannot rule them out of the title race this early in the season.

“I don't think they have a problem,” claimed Mourinho.

“In this moment they are not top four in the Premier League, but they can be at the end of the season.

“A new manager, but a club with a fantastic culture of supporting the manager.

“I don't feel any problem for David. He works. Better results will arrive and he will be for many years in the club and will reach good results.”

De Bruyne appears to be closing in on a Chelsea exit (GETTY IMAGES)

Mourinho then turned to transfer matters closer to home, with the confirmation that they have received two offers for De Bruyne as he nears a transfer away from the club in search of first team football.

“We've had a few proposals for Kevin De Bruyne, we will keep analysing them,” the Blues manager confirmed.

"He has a chance to go," Mourinho added. "(A fee is) not agreed, but I believe that between our club and the other club we will reach an agreement. The interest is big from the club, even bigger from the player.

"He is a player that Chelsea Football Club had a couple of proposals (for). We keep analysing these proposals.

"One of them is coming into a level where we believe can be a good situation for the player and also for the club."

Despite De Bruyne's desire to leave in order to increase his chances of featuring in Belgium's World Cup plans, Mourinho admits that he would like to keep him at the club, but clearly will not stand in his way.

"We know he's a fantastic young player with lots of potential. I still say I would be happy to keep him and develop him," Mourinho elaborated.

"We also have to analyse the player's profile, the player's personality and probably he wants so much to go that maybe it's a good option to let him go in a very good deal for the club, by a financial point of view.

"The club bought him a couple of years ago for a small fee and now we have a possibility to sell him for a positive amount."

"We don't need a direct replacement," Mourinho said.

"The reason why we are open the door to negotiate is because it's a position where we have options.

"We have options, so it's not the case of a options where you sell somebody."

Mourinho’s confirmation came after Wolfsburg, who are leading the race for the Belgium international, claimed that the 22-year-old had already made up his mind of his preferred destination.

“Before Christmas, it was still up in the air as to which Bundesliga club Kevin would switch to, now there's no longer any doubt,” Wolfsburg’s general manager Klaus Allofs proclaimed.

“The readiness to tell Chelsea that he definitely wants to leave doesn't quite seem to be there yet.”

Chelsea are believed to be looking for £18m in order to let club’s speak to De Bruyne, which would represent an £11m profit on the £7m they paid for him in 2012 despite making just two starts for the club. The Independent understands that another German club is rivalling Wolfsburg for his signature, but Allofs comments suggest that De Bruyne has made his mind up where his future lies.

Hazard is a reported target for PSG (GETTY IMAGES)

Mourinho also dismissed the rumours from France that Eden Hazard could be heading to PSG at the end of the season, claiming that there had been "no offers" for any other players other than De Bruyne and that Hazard is not a player they want to lose.

"I am not worried because if his value was around £40million when Chelsea bought him, if two years later he is twice or three times better than he was when we bought him, I think his value in the market is a crazy value.

"On top of that, he's not a player Chelsea are interested in selling anyway.

"Between our tag of 'not to sell', plus the crazy amount that he can be valued at in this moment, I think there's no chance that Eden is going to leave."