Paris Saint-Germain are considering rekindling their interest in Marcus Rashford this summer, testing the struggling striker’s commitment to Manchester United.
United currently have no plans to sell the academy graduate despite Rashford’s recent indiscipline that saw him declare himself too ill to train last Friday after having left a Belfast nightclub only a few hours earlier, while sources close to the player are adamant he is not looking elsewhere .
The Ligue 1 champions failed in an attempt to lure the 26-year-old to the French capital last summer before Rashford signed a lucrative new deal, but while they are not making a purchase “top of the agenda”, according to club sources, another insider based in the city insists PSG are tempted to return with a fresh offer at the end of the season.
A waitress told The Sun that Rashford went on a 12-hour tequila drinking spree while in Belfast, before then missing training on Friday morning, having only just arrived back in Manchester.
The latest misdemeanour comes just three months after Rashford was out until the early hours after the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City in October despite United having training that morning. Erik ten Hag, at the time, labeled Rashford’s conduct “unacceptable”.
Rashford, along with his agent and brother, Dwaine Maynard, participated in a meeting with Ten Hag at United’s Carrington training base on Monday, with crunch talks held by current football director John Murtough.
Sir Dave Brailsford, who is conducting an audit of the club as Ineo’s 25 per cent stake is ratified, accompanying Murtough to the dressing room following United’s 4-2 FA Cup win at League Two side Newport County on Sunday, with insiders telling i that the crux of the discussion was to reiterate the standards Ineos plan to put in place when they take charge of football operations.
After overseeing a major structural overhaul of the club, Ineos’ next priority is to begin offloading unwanted players within the ranks to boost the transfer war chest needed to bring about on-field improvements at Old Trafford.
Given that, in the eyes of Financial Fair Play regulators, cashing in on academy graduates can be considered as 100 per cent profit, several players who have come through the youth ranks could be moved on, with Mason Greenwood one of those set to depart.
Rashford is another person who could really tip the balance sheet in United’s favour. He may have to improve his goal return, currently standing at four in all competitions, between now and the end of the season to win more suitors, but PSG are longstanding admirers and may have a Kylian Mbappe-shaped hole to fill, with the French superstar tipped to head to Real Madrid in the coming month.
Mbappe’s potential departure, club sources insist, will bring about a change of approach in the transfer market, moving away from signing big names based on their reputation alone – the Neymar, Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi-type acquisitions – and bringing in younger, hungrier players.
However, Rashford should be available at the right price and Ineos decides to quickly rid themselves of a figure who is becoming more and more disruptive, returning for another attempt to give the England international a fresh start that could be impossible to resist.
There are few who doubt Rashford has the talent to succeed – his 30-goal haul last season is testament to his abilities. A new home, away from his boyhood club, could be just what he needs to start to fulfill his potential on a more regular basis.