Marcus Rashford is playing Man Utd with PSG flirtation
FT Desk
- 12 Aug 2022 10:13 BST
- 3 min read
Marcus Rashford is supposedly negotiating a transfer from Manchester United to PSG. With his contract due for renewal, the timing is suspect.
A Man Utd academy graduate, Rashford has made more than 300 senior appearances with the club he joined as a seven-year-old, and might be entitled to seek a new challenge.
The England international forward is United's seventh-best paid player, with Cristiano Ronaldo, David de Gea, Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes all bringing home more than his £200,000/€236,000 weekly basic income.
Cristiano Ronaldo ✅
Marcus Rashford ❓
Which players need to leave Manchester United this year?https://t.co/ENSbAXRQUn— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) August 2, 2022
He is also out of contract in the summer of 2023, and United are understood to be keen to bolt down a player who is the poster boy of their now flagging academy.
"Rashford and his representatives have been aware of interest from PSG dating back to when Mauricio Pochettino took over as manager in January 2021," writes ESPN's Rob Dawson.
"PSG have indicated they would be willing to hand Rashford a significant pay rise but there has been no contact with United over a potential fee."
The report goes on to outline that there is a significant gap in the clubs' valuation of the player, with PSG willing to spend around €70 million and United wanting approximately twice as much for the player.
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Rashford is playing for his hometown club, there is the promise of a new era under Erik ten Hag despite the opening day 2-1 defeat to Brighton, he bagged two goals in pre-season, and has nothing like the competition for minutes he would receive from Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi in Paris.
A move to PSG might not make that much sense for Rashford. Pretending it does is eminently understandable, however.
Can Rashford still deliver for Man Utd?
Rashford plundered 22 goals and 12 assists at a rate of one every 102 minutes he played as recently as the 2019/20 season and is still only 24.
With Cristiano Ronaldo looking to leave United Rashford could also be in for the similar kind of goalscoring upswing Karim Benzema enjoyed when the Portuguese left Real Madrid.
He simply wants improved terms on his contract, and flirting with PSG will help him get that.
