David Moyes is minded to keep Wayne Rooney at Manchester United and the new manager is hopeful he can convince the striker that his long-term future remains at the club.

Moyes, who spent his first day of work as United's manager visiting the club's Carrington training ground, will make resolving Rooney's future one of his priorities. He was welcomed on Monday by the news that Rio Ferdinand will sign a new one-year contract no later than Friday.

Last month Rooney met Sir Alex Ferguson, the outgoing manager, to discuss his prospects at United, and the forward verbally requested to leave this summer if he could not be guaranteed a regular starting place.

This followed a season in which Rooney was not always selected in his preferred forward position and was dropped for the club's biggest game, the Champions League last-16 second leg against Real Madrid at Old Trafford in February.

The meeting between Rooney and Ferguson occurred before the 71-year-old announced his retirement but the dynamic regarding the Liverpudlian's future has changed since Moyes arrived.

Rooney played under Moyes when he started his career at Everton in 2002 and the forward is open to discussing a fresh start at United.

Most importantly, there is a desire on the part of Moyes to keep Rooney at United. Rooney has two years remaining on his deal – the usual point for renewing terms – and, if he decides to stay, his salary of about £300,000 a week means any negotiations regarding a fresh contract could be lengthy.

Although United maintain Rooney is not for sale, if Moyes fails to persuade him to stay then pragmatically the best course for both player and club may be for him to depart. The difficulty, though, lies in the limited number of suitors who can match United's £40m valuation – though they may have to accept closer to £25m – and Rooney's wages.

Chelsea are thought to retain an interest in him, though whether the club will make a bid is unclear. This season representatives of Paris Saint-Germain publicly stated their admiration for Rooney.

Moyes will definitely have Ferdinand after the defender agreed a deal worth at least £100,000 a week. Ferdinand is out of the country with friends including Jody Morris, the former Chelsea midfielder, for a stag party but the fresh contract will be announced in the coming days.

The central defender, who enjoyed his best ever season for United according to Ferguson, tweeted a picture of himself, Morris and another friend before they flew, writing: "Here we go!!!!! Me @morriskid + @boysiewise11 are ready! A-Team."

Ferdinand has made no decision about whether to continue beyond next year. He will be 35 in November, so will be closely monitoring his own form and fitness as the 2013-14 campaign unfolds, though his recent decision to retire from international football has increased the prospect of him playing in the Premier League.

Moyes, whose contract does not begin until 1 July, began his United tenure as early as possible because of what will be a hectic summer for him, in which the Scot has to become familiar with his new club and deal with recruitment.

Beyond Rooney and the contractual issues of other players such as Nani, who also has only two years left on his deal, Moyes is weighing up a move for the Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini.

Moyes arrived at Carrington early on Monday morning in a white car, which he later also left in accompanied by Ferguson and driven by the kit-man Albert Morgan. During a private visit of only a few hours, Moyes toured the training ground's facilities and met some of his new staff.

Ferguson was on Monday night named the League Managers Association's Premier League manager of the year.