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Manchester United are making good progress in talks over a new contract for Marcus Rashford.
Rashford, 25, is expected to enter the final 12 months of his current contract this summer and securing the England forward’s long-term future is a key priority for manager Erik ten Hag.
The discussions have been going on for some time and are going in the right direction, Telegraph Sport reports.
Goalkeeper David De Gea is currently United’s top earner at around £375,000 a week when Champions League bonuses are active and any new deal could catapult Rashford into that bracket and potentially make him the club’s highest paid player.
Rashford is having his best season at the club and is just one target short of reaching 30 for the campaign. He also scored three times for England at the World Cup Finals in Qatar.
Paris Saint-Germain are one of many clubs eyeing Rashford’s situation, but the player is seen as integral to Ten Hag’s plans to boost United’s attack.
Ten Hag want to bring in a pedigree centre-forward this summer and United are continuing to explore the feasibility of sealing a deal with Tottenham for Rashford’s England team-mate Harry Kane amid concerns over the dangers of being involved in a extended saga.
Despite having just a year left on his Spurs contract, Kane would likely cost around £100million.
The prospect of pairing Kane with Rashford would be hugely exciting for United and Ten Hag fans, although continued uncertainty over who will own the club is another curveball.
Ten Hag admitted Wednesday he was in the dark about his spending power this summer as the manager, like fans, waits to find out whether the Glazers sell to Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani or Sir Jim’s Ineos Group Ratcliffe.
United are also great admirers of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen but, much like Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, negotiating with Italian club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is rarely simple.
A number of other forwards remain on United’s radar, although Ten Hag want a first-class recruit who will significantly sharpen the attack.
Only Aston Villa from the current Premier League top nine have scored fewer goals than United. Leaders Manchester City scored a further 38 league goals and second-placed Arsenal scored a further 32, a reflection of the gap they need to close.
The signing of a striker remains the coach’s absolute priority, but this summer he would also like a midfielder.
Additional reinforcements are likely to depend on the successful sale of the club and/or ownership situation.
United have linked Luke Shaw and Alejandro Garnacho on new long-term deals in recent weeks and are hoping Rashford follows suit.
Negotiations are also underway for a new contract for Diogo Dalot, which will expire at the end of next season.
United have until the end of this month to activate a 12-month extension option in De Gea’s deal, but have negotiated with representatives of the Spaniard over a new contract on reduced terms.
Fred’s contract is out at the end of next season but it remains to be seen what will happen with the Brazilian midfielder, who has fallen on hard times and hasn’t started a Premier League match since the 7-0 capitulation against Liverpool on 5 March.
