Man Utd are reportedly willing to make England forward Marcus Rashford their highest earner, but only if he agrees to pen a long-term contract extension.
Rashford is out of contract at the end of the season, though the club have the option to extend his deal by a further year.
The 25-year-old is currently one of the Red Devils’ top-paid players, earning around £200,000 per week.
After a difficult 2021-22 season, Rashford is back to his best for Man Utd, scoring eight goals in 19 appearances so far this campaign.
His form earned him an England recall for the 2022 World Cup, where he scored three goals across five appearances, starting only one of those matches.
With Rashford fit and firing again, there are a few big clubs sniffing around, looking to get a bargain deal, or to sign him on a free transfer.
Paris Saint-Germain were linked with the Three Lions international last summer and still hold an interest.
Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are also believed to be interested, though you would expect the former to only be keen on a free transfer given their financial situation and recent transfer business.
Clearly loving life under new manager Erik ten Hag, you would expect Rashford to want to commit to his boyhood club.
However, a fresh challenge could also be pretty appealing, especially as he knows how quickly your fortunes can change playing in England.
Man Utd’s highest earner is currently David de Gea (£375k) following the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was believed to be earning around £500k per week.
And according to the Daily Star, the Premier League club are prepared to make Rashford their top earner, doubling his weekly salary from £200k to a staggering £400k.
The report states that Man Utd ‘will’ trigger the one-year extension in order to avoid losing the 25-year-old for nothing next summer. This will also stop foreign clubs from negotiating a pre-contract from January 1.
With ‘doubts’ over Rashford’s future, Madrid and PSG are said to be ‘stepping up’ their interest.
Man Utd are ‘preparing’ a £400k-a-week offer after Rashford turned down the opportunity to sign a new deal worth £300k per week.
Ten Hag is very keen to see the Old Trafford favourite stay and the club are happy to make him their highest earner above De Gea, the report states.
However, should Rashford reject the Red Devils’ latest offer, they will have no choice but to listen to offers.
It is believed Man Utd would ask for a huge £80million transfer fee to part ways with Rashford, even though he would be available on a free in 2024.
This would be a ‘reluctant’ sale to PSG or Madrid, who can ‘easily’ offer better terms than Man Utd.
The Red Devils get their season back underway on December 21 when they host Burnley in the Carabao Cup.
Their first Premier League encounter post-World Cup is at home to Nottingham Forest on the day after Boxing Day.
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