A summer transfer for Marcus Rashford looked to be picking up steam before Barcelona shifted their attention elsewhere. With the Spanish side now pursuing a different forward, the England international is left reassessing his options as he heads back for Manchester United pre-season.
While Rashford is still expected to leave Old Trafford, his permanent move to Barcelona fell through after the club opted not to trigger their £26m buy option. Instead, Barca splashed out roughly £70m on Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon.
That’s left Rashford’s choices fairly limited. The Athletic reports the 28-year-old has no appetite for joining Tottenham or any other Premier League side this summer, with his focus firmly on continuing his career outside England rather than lining up for a domestic rival.
United, for their part, want to settle the situation with a permanent sale rather than another loan, but there’s been no concrete interest yet from clubs abroad able to match both his ambitions and his wage demands.
During his loan in Spain, Barcelona were covering Rashford’s £375,000-a-week salary in full. With that deal now finished, United will be back on the hook for his wages from July 1 unless a transfer gets sorted.
The Sun reports United aren’t in any rush to force a decision and haven’t ruled out bringing him back into first-team plans if nothing materializes before the window shuts.
Spurs are reportedly among the clubs prepared to meet his wage demands, but Rashford has shown little interest in a move to North London or anywhere else domestically.
Amid all this, Harry Maguire has thrown his support behind his long-time teammate. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Maguire said he’s had a great relationship with Rashford over the years and knows exactly how talented he is, adding that it’s down to Rashford and the club to find the right solution. He said everyone wants to see him playing with confidence and at his best, and that whichever club gets him next season will be getting a top player if he’s firing.
For now, nothing is settled, with a move abroad still Rashford’s preferred path as United figure out their next move before the new season.
