DAVID MOYES has secretly met Wayne Rooney in a bid to persuade the troubled star to stay at Manchester United.

During the hush-hush meeting, Rooney revealed his anger at Alex Ferguson’s claims he had handed in a transfer request. An insider confirmed: “There is little doubt the new boss wants to keep Wayne. Any suggestions the two don’t get on is complete rubbish. “It was an amicable meeting but it gave Wayne the chance to get a lot of things off his chest. “He’s always denied handing in a transfer request and like all top players, he was upset to be dropped, especially for the Real Madrid match.” England striker Rooney, 27, also opened up about his frustration at being axed by Fergie for big games last season and was dismayed the former boss seemed to question his fitness levels. Roo and Moyes intend to meet again this week as the world’s top clubs monitor the situation. Chelsea and Arsenal have already joined a queue for Rooney should United decide to sell — and last week SunSport revealed Barcelona are preparing a £25million swoop. Brazil superstar Neymar, who has just moved to the Nou Camp, last night urged Rooney to join him in Spain. He said: “It does not surprise me at all that Barcelona is Wayne Rooney’s first choice — we are most players’ first choice. “The style of football we play and the level of the players we have — we are the perfect club for the top players to join. “I have met Wayne on a few occasions and he seems a good guy, but importantly he is one of the players I admire most in the world. “Wayne is one of the most gifted and technical players in the world. “Of course he would improve Barcelona — he would improve any club in Europe. “And on a personal level it would be a dream to play with him.