The 60 million pound boy

England have reached the quarter-finals of the European soccer championships by defeating Croatia 4-2. 18 year-old Everton star Wayne Rooney scored two goals and assisted on a third with a brilliant headed pass. Rooney was a good bet to be snatched away from Everton even before the tournament started. Now his departure seems almost certain, the only question being how much Everton will get for him. Before this match the talk was that he is valued at 50 million pounds (something like 80 million dollars, I think). After today’s performance, it should be even more. However, it is believed that only Chelsea (a London club owned by a Russian billionaire) can afford to pay that much. Yet some say Rooney, if he must leave Everton, wants to play for Manchester United so he can continue to live in Liverpool.
In any event, whether Everton will be able to avoid relegation from England’s top division may well depend on how much they get for the Boy Wonder and how much of whatever they get they are able to spend on new players, as opposed to paying off debt.