Finding a new home for the striker who Ruben Amorim fell out with is proving easier said than done, and both parties need to reassess their priorities
Marcus Rashford is spending his summer in Marbella, a top holiday destination for footballers including Cristiano Ronaldo, Raheem Sterling and Erling Haaland. But although it's sunny, luxurious and the beach is nearby, it's not a typical holiday. Rashford is conducting an individual training camp to sharpen his fitness levels ahead of the new season, as he has done previously in the last few years.
The key difference is that this year he does not know what exactly he is training for. Rashford's days at Manchester United are numbered after being cast aside by Ruben Amorim last December, but clubs have not exactly been queuing up to sign him since his loan spell at Aston Villa came to an end. The days are now counting down before he has to report for pre-season training with United on July 7.
The prospect of Rashford arriving at Carrington and awkwardly crossing paths with Amorim will be a dream come true for photographers, but something that the club, coach and player will want to avoid. From Rashford's point of view, returning to United would be proof that he is not as in demand as he would like, as every club knows he is both available and his price.
From United's perspective, the sight of Rashford returning to Carrington would be the latest reminder of the club's inability to shift unwanted players, as well as a huge distraction for Amorim and the rest of the squad as they begin to focus on building up towards the new season. But the situation everyone wants to avoid seems inevitable unless both parties alter their expectations….
GettyBarca ambition is naive
Rashford's ideal destination is well-known – and who wouldn't want to play for Barcelona? His brother and agent, Dwaine Maynard, flew out to to meet Barca's sporting director Deco in May, while at a similar time the former Portugal midfielder declared "we like Rashford" before uttering the obligatory sentence about not being able to talk about players at other clubs.
Rashford has also been doing his part, inviting Barcelona-based Youtubers xBuyers to Marbella for an interview in which he declared his love for Lamine Yamal and his desire to play with him. Other nods to Barca could be heard in the chat as he cited Thierry Henry as the player he was most similar to while Rashford claimed that he was comfortable playing as a No.9, the position he would most likely occupy if he were to pull off a move to Catalunya.
But actions speak louder than words, and instead of trying to sign Rashford, Barca have been pursuing Athletic Club's Nico Williams. They are reportedly on the verge of agreeing a transfer for the Spain winger, subject to the move being greenlit by La Liga's financial regulators. Paying Williams' release clause will cost financially-troubled Barca £50 million ($68m) plus tax on top of a huge salary, which in turn would surely reduce the likelihood of them ever affording United's reported valuation of £40m for Rashford in addition to his massive wages (£315,000 per week).
AdvertisementGettyLoan deal not ideal
Even leaving aside the money concerns, Williams plays in Rashford's ideal position as a left forward, and his arrival will leave Barca with six top-class attackers, thus generating more competition for places in a squad that already contains Ballon d'Or hopefuls Raphinha and Yamal, plus Dani Olmo, Robert Lewandowski – their top scorer last season – and Ferran Torres.
In reality, Barca feels like a naively optimistic destination for Rashford, and the only scenario in which he could go there would be on loan, with United likely having to cover a chunk of his wages as they did during his stint at Villa. A loan is a far from ideal outcome for the Red Devils, who desperately need cash to finance more signings. It also only kicks the problem down the road and likely leaves them having to go through the same process over the next two summers until Rashford's lucrative contract expires in 2028.
The other club to be linked with Rashford over the summer is Newcastle. However, the Magpies are also reportedly only interested in a loan. Given the attacking quality they already possess in Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy, it is not surprising they are unwilling to sign him Rashford a permanent basis.
Getty Images Sport£40m is too much
The only way for United to get the permanent move they crave, then, is to lower their valuation well below £40m. That is a lot of money to demand for a player who Amorim stopped selecting for matchday squads last December before declaring that bringing Rashford back into the squad would send out such a a bad message that he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital instead.
But even if we forget Rashford's personality clash with Amorim, it is still a lot of money for a player who scored just six Premier League goals last season across his spells for United and Villa, and who only made four league starts for Unai Emery's side. The fee has already put Villa off signing him permanently, in addition to Barca and Newcastle, and many other clubs are likely to conclude that there are better value attacking options out there.
Manchester City have just proved that by signing 21-year-old Rayan Cherki for £34m, while Chelsea landed Liam Delap, who scored double the amount of goals as Rashford last term while playing for relegated Ipswich, for £30m. Only nine players were signed by Premier League clubs last summer for £40m or more, as Arsenal, Tottenham, Villa, Chelsea and United were alone in fronting up such fees.
Getty Images SportFew options outside England
Nor is there much tangible interest in Rashford outside of England. Bayern Munich are the only Bundesliga club capable of paying such a fee while only the top three Spanish clubs could realistically afford Rashford. Juventus, meanwhile, are the only Serie A club to have paid above £40m for players (Teun Koopmeiners and Douglas Luiz) in the last year.
Paris Saint-Germain are the only French side with the financial capabilities to sign him, and they were recently interested in Rashford, but they have changed their transfer strategy in the last couple of years away from superstar names and towards young, emerging French players. And after finally conquering the Champions League and in devastating fashion, they are unlikely to change course now.
United reducing their asking price only solves one of the stumbling blocks towards striking a deal, too. Rashford's salary puts him among the top-10 earners in the Premier League, but he has long ceased to be one of the top-10 forwards. European sides, other than the real elite clubs, cannot afford those wages either. Borussia Dortmund, for example, rejected the chance to sign Rashford on loan last January because they could not take on his salary, even with United willing to cover a quarter of it.