Manchester United might not be able to sell Marcus Rashford as easily as they would like, with a number of key factors playing an important part in the saga.
On Monday, The Guardian reported that Manchester United had put Marcus Rashford up for sale in the January transfer window, after Ruben Amorim decided to drop him entirely from the matchday squad that beat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia are touted as a potential destination for Rashford by Talksport, but whether the 27-year-old is open to the move is another matter.
Manchester United might need to pay Marcus Rashford off
With Rashford reportedly targeting a return to the England squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup, it seems unlikely that the Manchester United forward would choose to move to Saudi Arabia at such a pivotal time in his career - especially with Thomas Tuchel starting as England manager on January 1.
So, with Saudi Arabia likely out of the picture, there aren't a whole host of clubs that represent realistic options - and even fewer when considering his reported £365,000-per-week wages. Indeed, that could prove a real stumbling block in negotiations, especially when Rashford is entitled to that salary until the summer of 2028.
While the aforementioned reports have suggested that Manchester United are willing to let the academy graduate leave in a cut-price deal, around the £45m mark Transfermarkt has him valued at, the club might also have to incentivise the deal for Rashford to leave, too.
With millions of pounds owed to him by the club over the next three-and-a-half years, and similar wages unlikely elsewhere away from Old Trafford, Rashford could simply refuse to leave unless a severance package is offered. Not only could Manchester United sell him for a reduced fee, they might also have to pay him to leave, too.
A similar situation happened in the 2023 summer transfer window, when Harry Maguire reportedly refused to leave amid the offer of a much-reduced salary at West Ham. Wanting a pay-off of around £7m to leave the club, Maguire eventually ended up staying at Manchester United as they failed to come to an agreement.
There is, however, a new part-owner in Sir Jim Ratcliffe who is willing to accept some short-term pain. This became wholly apparent when he cut ties with sporting director Dan Ashworth after just 159 days, despite paying £5m for him to join from Newcastle, as he looked to get the best in class at Old Trafford.
In FourFourTwo's opinion, it seems unlikely that Manchester United will manage to sell Marcus Rashford in the coming transfer windows unless they accept the aforementioned costs involved could see them pocket a much lower fee overall. There's still time for Amorim to convince Rashford to change his ways, too, highlighting the critical period it is in his career right now.
