Sneijder's Manchester United move hit by wage bill unrest with high-earner Rooney

Manchester United are pressing ahead with protracted negotiations aimed at finding a way around the wages problem threatening their £30million-plus move for Wesley Sneijder.

Inter Milan’s Holland midfielder is Sir Alex Ferguson’s preferred choice - as revealed in Sportsmail three months ago - to fill the vacancy created by Paul Scholes’s retirement.

United chief executive David Gill is believed to have held talks with Inter and the Sneijder camp in Manchester and is thought to be confident of concluding a deal.

But United have long acknowledged that matching Sneijder’s current pay deal could cause unrest among some players, particularly Wayne Rooney.

Wage war: Manchester United will not wish to upset top earners like Wayne Rooney (top) should they acquire top target Wesley Sneijder

Such was then-Inter coach Jose Mourinho’s determination to see off competition from Bayern Munich for Sneijder, when Real Madrid made him available in 2009, that the 27-year-old was awarded a £250,000-a-week contract.

After almost losing Rooney last season, before finally securing his future on improved terms of around £220,000 a week, the last thing Ferguson needs is any further disruption from his prize asset over relative earnings.

Plenty to ponder: Rooney is United's highest earner but the prospective arrival of Sneijder could dwarf the England striker's wages

Pain game: Rooney holds his ankle during United's training session at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts

Sportsmail understands that word of United’s interest in Sneijder reached his agent Soren Lerby at least six weeks ago and ways of bringing his weekly pay into line with Rooney’s without significantly affecting his overall income have been explored.

Ideal replacement: With the retirement of Paul Scholes (top) Sir Alex Ferguson is missing a vital midfield cog

The talks are believed to have centred on making up any shortfall through image rights, signing-on fees and commercial deals that could involve Nike, who are heavily involved with Sneijder and have been United’s kit suppliers for nearly a decade.

Although Inter claimed yesterday that the Dutchman is not for sale and the player has stated he is happy in Milan, sources close to the deal insist there is a better than even chance of United landing their next major target and taking their summer spending beyond £80m.

On the lookout: Ferguson wants to recruit a world class replacement for retired Scholes this summer

Inter finally spoke out over Sneijder’s future when technical director Marco Branca said: ‘There is nothing new about the story of Sneijder. There is nothing strange about other teams liking him, but there has not been any official offer. He is not for sale.’

Big game player: Sneijder gives Holland a 2-0 lead over Brazil in the quarter-finals of last year's World Cup

Sneijder recently said he was content in Milan, but both statements are being seen as a ploy to avoid upsetting Inter fans.

After playing for Real in Spain and conquering Europe with Inter, Sneijder sees the Barclays Premier League as the logical next step, particularly with so many of his Holland team-mates here.