Rooney wedding likely to be ‘next summer’

WAYNE Rooney is “likely” to marry his childhood sweetheart Coleen McLoughlin next summer, sources revealed yesterday.

No precise date has yet been fixed for the Manchester United star to tie the knot with his long-term girlfriend but the nuptials are likely to have to work around England’s fixtures in the Euro 2008 tournament.

The news follows the completion of a £1.5m (€2.18m) deal with Hello! magazine earlier this month to exclusively cover the couple’s big day.

The staggering figure is thought to be the largest ever paid by a celebrity mag to cover a wedding. It beats the £1m (€1.46m) paid to Elizabeth Hurley for coverage of her celebrations and the £900,000 (€1.3m) OK! paid David and Victoria Beckham to cover theirs.

The enormous sum also includes exclusive access to Coleen’s 21st birthday party to be held in the Wirral later this month.

Both bashes will be lavish affairs with stringent security for the couple and their showbiz guests.