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19th February 2024
04:11pm GMT
Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Marcus Rashford from Manchester United this summer as they prepare to replace Kylian Mbappe, according to reports.
Mbappe is said to have informed PSG that he does not intend to extend his seven-year stay with the club, and will leave on a free transfer at the end of the current campaign.
The France captain, 25, is expected to join Real Madrid, and his departure will leave a massive void at his current club.
PSG, however, have a replacement in mind, and Man United could use the funds to rebuild their squad.
PSG have identified Rashford as a replacement for Mbappe, according to The Sunday Times.
Mbappe looks set to leave the French club on a free transfer at the end of the season after informing the club that he will not extend his current contract.
The forward is expected to join Real Madrid, who have been linked with a move for Mabppe for several years.
If, as expected, Mbappe leaves PSG, it will open up a space on the left side of the team's forward line.
PSG will also have roughly €200m to spend on new players, as their star player leaving will release funds for the team to be rebuilt.
The club are interested in Napoli centre-forward Victor Osimhen and are also keeping tabs on Rashford.
According to The Sunday Times, PSG's football advisor Luis Campos admires Rashford and held talks with the player in the summer of 2022 about joining the French club.
Rashford opted to sign a new deal with Man United last summer after an excellent season which saw him score 30 goals in 56 appearances.
The England forward, however, has struggled this season and has only scored five goals in 30 appearances.
Rashford, 26, still has four years to run on his contract, which reportedly made him Man United's highest-paid player. Yet, there is an argument to be made that the Red Devils should cash in on the England star if they can.
If PSG were to make an offer close to €100m for the forward, would Man United be in a position to turn it down?
The club are about to enter a new era with Jim Ratcliffe taking a 25 per cent ownership stake and control of the football side of the business.
This is expected to lead to a data-led approach to recruitment, with Newcastle technical director Dan Ashworth in talks to become Man United's director of football.
Omar Berrada has been recruited from Manchester City to be the club's new Chief Executive Officer. While Jason Wilcox, who is currently Southampton's Director of Football, is also said to be on United's shortlist.
The Red Devils' days of being chumps in the transfer market appear to be coming to an end. They will seemingly now be more intelligent, data-led, and shrewd in the market. Rashford could be the litmus test of this new approach.
Will the club's new football hierarchy cash in on Rashford as their first major decision? It would be a bold, but potentially profitable, move, with several reasons in favour of selling Rashford.
Firstly, Rashford is a direct and pacy, wide forward who may have already peaked given he is about to enter the second half of his career. Players with his profile tend to slow down as they reach the latter half of their 20s. His form has also never been consistent across his Man United career.
In 389 games, Rashford has scored 128 goals - which is a record of roughly one goal every three matches. He has only scored over 20 goals in a season in three of his nine first-team campaigns.
Rashford is also only comfortable playing wide-left, where he can be ineffective with the ball when he is not in form or lacking confidence. He often makes poor decisions on the pitch. He opts for power shots too often, runs down blind alleys and sometimes squanders promising moves for United.
Off the ball, Rashford is sometimes a non-entity. His pressing statistics in the 2021/22 season mirrored those of 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.
This season, the 26-year-old has won six of the 13 tackles he has attempted. Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, by comparison, has won 26 of his 48 attempted tackles. (All stats via FBRef).
Rashford plays for a team that are supposed to press and work hard out of possession, yet he offers little when he doesn't have the ball compared to similar players in his position. Bruno Fernandes, meanwhile, has won 30 of his 50 tackles this season.
So, if Rashford is hit-and-miss in possession, streaky in front of goal, poor out of possession, and set to enter the second half of his career, surely the obvious move would be to cash in if there is a willing buyer?
(Especially as Man United must sell players before they can make any new signings due to the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.)
PSG could be about to make Man United an offer they shouldn't refuse if they truly are about to become a serious football club.
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