Game over for Rashford after Amorim approves transfer, as Man Utd set minimum condition

Ruben Amorim has decided now is the time for Manchester United to ‘cash in’ on Marcus Rashford, while the winger’s preference on where he moves has been revealed along with the minimum condition that must be met before United sign off on a deal.

Rashford, 27, has endured a dire 18 months at Old Trafford. His on-field displays have underwhelmed, while he’s also butted heads with Erik ten Hag and now Ruben Amorim.

Rashford was left out of four consecutive matchday squads by Amorim prior to his recall last time out against Newcastle. However, Rashford remained rooted to the bench, with the Man Utd boss opting against his introduction.

Tellingly, Amorim only made four subs in that contest, meaning it was a conscious choice not to bring Rashford on given the opportunity was there.

Numerous outlets have reported Man Utd are willing to offload Rashford to help fund an anticipated squad rebuild. As a homegrown star, the winger’s sale would be extra lucrative for the club. The proceeds from those types of deals are logged as ‘pure profit’ on the balance sheet.

Rashford has also revealed he’s open to a new challenge, and according to a fresh update from The Times, Amorim is singing from the same hymn sheet.

They stated: ‘Amorim has decided that now would be a good time to cash in on the forward and he has the backing of the United hierarchy.’

Accordingly, Rashford IS up for sale and the January window has now opened. Regarding what type of deal United will seek, it was noted the club are open to either a permanent sale or loan. An outright sale would be more beneficial to United given it would free up vital funds to re-invest in new signings.

The report also revealed United are determined to not be on the hook for any of Rashford’s high salary – believed to be in excess of £325,000-a-week – if he leaves via the loan route.

The Times added: ‘[Man Utd] will state that they want any suitor to pay his wages, which amount to more than £325,000 a week, although that is likely to be just a starting position in negotiations.’

Of course, the list of clubs who’d be willing to absorb such a high salary is extremely small. As such, Man Utd may well have to compromise if it is the loan route that Rashford walks.

Marcus Rashford’s destination preference

The Times also shed light on where Rashford wants to go if and when he does leave Old Trafford.

Spain is understood to be his ‘priority’, though whether a move to LaLiga is viable is open to debate.

Barcelona are struggling to register the players they already have, such as Dani Olmo. Real Madrid’s forward line is stacked, especially on Rashford’s favoured left wing where both Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe prefer to play.

Atletico Madrid were cited as an option in the piece, though they’re not a club who would willingly match or absorb Rashford’s mammoth wages.

Furthermore, Atleti are managed by the ‘notoriously hard taskmaster’ Diego Simeone. The Argentine demands maximum effort and high intensity from first minute to last from each of his players. Those are not traits that are typically associated with Rashford.

If the Spanish route doesn’t yield a breakthrough, a surprise switch within the Premier League could take shape.

The Times concluded ‘United are braced for interest in Rashford from Premier League clubs.’

TEAMtalk understands Man Utd would look for a minimum of £50m if selling their academy graduate outright.

Latest Man Utd news – Gigantic squad exodus taking shape

In other news, GIVEMESPORT state that aside from Rashford, Man Utd are also hopeful of ditching Christian Eriksen and Antony in January.

The club are receptive to loan deals – even though Eriksen only has six months remaining on his contract and would leave for free when a loan concluded.

The thinking there is United hope to get as many of their high earners off the books – even if only on loan – in order to allow Amorim to make his own signings.

Elsewhere, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano stated centre-back, Victor Lindelof, is another Man Utd aim to offload this month.

Like Eriksen, Lindelof is in the final six months of his deal and new contracts will NOT be put to the pair.

Finally, TEAMtalk have been told Casemiro is also on the chopping block, while Joshua Zirkzee – fresh off his humiliation against Newcastle – wants out.

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