Erik ten Hag has informed the Manchester United hierarchy that he would like the club to reach an agreement with Marcus Rashford over a new contract before the summer.
After a tough spell prior to Ten Hag's arrival, Rashford has been revitalised since working with the Dutchman and currently tops United's scoring charts after plundering 27 goals in all competitions this term.
The 25-year-old will have just one year left on his current contract at the end of the season and United are eager to thrash out fresh terms with the England star, who would be in line to become the club's highest paid player. However, Rashford has decided to delay contract talks until the ongoing takeover saga has concluded.
Although Rashford is in no rush to come to an agreement over his future - and the current takeover saga is no closer to a conclusion - Ten Hag has not been deterred and would like the situation to be resolved sooner rather than later, with Sky Sports claiming that the United chief has 'given the directive' for the club to sort out fresh terms with the striker before the summer.
As well as trying to agree terms with Rashford, the club are also trying to reach an agreement with David de Gea, although Rashford is seen as the priority.
French champions Paris Saint-Germain are long-term admirers of Rashford and are believed to be monitoring the striker's current situation, however, the United academy graduate is expected to remain to Old Trafford despite strong interest from elsewhere.
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Ten Hag has already made it clear that the ongoing speculation over a takeover cannot be allowed to impact his preparations for next season. The United chief is aiming to sign an elite striker in the summer transfer window, with Tottenham talisman Harry Kane at the top of his wishlist.
He is eager for the club to conclude a swift deal for a No.9 before the 2023/24 campaign - particularly after negotiations over a deal for last year's top transfer target, Frenkie de Jong, dragged on and ultimately failed to come to fruition.
Rashford scored the deciding goal in Wednesday night's 1-0 win over Brentford to keep United's top-four hopes on track. Ten Hag admitted after the match that United had relied on Rashford too much this season - but felt that others were capable of chipping in with goals.
“Yeah, it’s the truth,” Ten Hag said when it was put to him that United were reliant on their talisman. “But also we know other players can score as well: Bruno, Antony scored a couple of goals, Jadon Sancho can score, Marcel Sabitzer can score. We have many more players across the squad who can score. What you want as a squad is that you have two players who can score more than 12 or 15 goals a season.”
