Mercato: Rashford available at a reduced price, an opportunity for PSG to seize?

Already mentioned by several sources last week (The Telegraph and Sky Germany in particular), the winter departure of Marcus Rashford is starting to become an increasingly serious possibility. In today’s edition, The Guardian confirms that Manchester United intends to part with its 27-year-old striker in January, as much to meet the demands of financial fair play of the Premier League as to initiate a cultural overhaul of the club under the impetus of INEOS and new coach Ruben Amorim.

A child from Manchester, Marcus Rashford was until recently United’s standard-bearer, the man who scored 30 goals in the 2022/2023 season and who was praised by all for his social commitments towards disadvantaged children in England. Since then, the Manchester star has faded from sport and has had a series of extra-sporting setbacks and quarrels with Erik ten Hag.

The recent arrival of Ruben Amorim on the Mancunian bench seemed to have benefited him, Rashford having scored three times in the first two matches managed by the Portuguese, before returning to the bench and even being sidelined last weekend during of the derby against Manchester City, won 2-1 by the Red Devils at the very end of the match.

Manchester United would demand less than €50m for Rashford

According to The Guardian, Manchester United and Ruben Amorim want to sell Rashford this winter and are ready to let him leave at a reduced price. The English media does not give any figures, but the Daily Mail wrote last week that an offer of 40 million pounds, or around 48.5 million euros, could be enough. An amount far removed from the estimated value of the player in the summer of 2023 (more than €100 million), at the time of its extension until 2028.

Before extending to Manchester United with an XXL salary estimated at more than 22 million euros per year, Rashford had also been targeted by PSG since he only had a few months of contract left, like Nasser Al-Khelaïfi had publicly recognized it on the sidelines of the World Cup in Qatar where Rashford had scored three goals for England without starting during the competition.

Rashford finally extended his contract with his training club, which did not necessarily please PSG, before experiencing a chaotic 2023/2024 season under the orders of Erik ten Hag. His 2024/2025 season is hardly more encouraging and the question is whether clubs will want to afford him this winter, even at 48.5 million euros.

Towards a Kolo Muani/Rashford crossover?

For the moment, no French media has revived the PSG rumor, but the Daily Telegraph estimated last week that the Parisian club was a credible destination, like Saudi Arabia. The player’s bad reputation and his very high salary clearly do not work in his favor, as confirmed by Sky Sports. Rashford, however, remains a classy and versatile player, which could interest Luis Enrique.

PSG no longer counts on Randal Kolo Muani and will seek to part with him this winter, one way or another. Ironically, Manchester United is one of the interested clubs. From there to imagine a crossover between Kolo Muani and Rashford? We are not there yet, but in the event of the departure of the French international, PSG would be targeting a versatile attacker, who can play in the center as well as on one side. A profile that matches that of Rashford.