Fenerbahce plan to play the long game to try and sign Marcus Rashford MBE, despite the England international’s preferred destination being elsewhere.
Several Manchester United players are set to leave the club this summer, as Ruben Amorim clears the team of players he deems surplus to requirements.
One of the first players to fall out of favour with Amorim was Marcus Rashford. The Englishman was dropped from the squad, reportedly due to a lack of effort in training and was sent out on loan to Aston Villa in January for the remainder of the season.
Villa did not make the move permanent, however, and it now looks almost impossible for the 27-year-old to stay at United. When rumours surfaced that he was training poorly, Amorim famously commented that he would rather start the team’s 63-year-old goalkeeping coach than someone who didn’t put in the required effort.
Furthermore, the relationship between Rashford and the club has continued to disintegrate since the new arrival, Matheus Cunha, was handed the English winger’s No. 10 shirt last week.
Many clubs have already registered their interest in Rashford, and the England international clearly has a preferred next destination in Barcelona, but a new team led by a former United manager are now also vying for the 27-year-old’s signature.
Fenerbahce’s transfer plan
Hürriyet (via SportWitness) have revealed that Turkish side Fenerbahce have now entered the race to sign Rashford. Former United boss Jose Mourinho currently manages last year’s Super Lig runners-up.
No player played more for United during Mourinho’s reign than Rashford, with 125 appearances. This is even more than the “Special One’s” first-choice goalkeeper, David De Gea, who was selected on 113 occasions. Clearly, Mourinho liked Rashford, and this may be why he’s eager for a reunion.
Fenerbahce’s approach to this transfer race is slow and steady, as they are willing to wait until August to make a formal approach, when United will be more desperate to offload Rashford and more likely to accept a lower fee.
This is a significant and somewhat bizarre gamble for the Turkish side, as Rashford may not be available later in the window, as the winger has made it clear he wants his future sorted as soon as possible.
Rashford’s transfer stance is clear
While Rashford may be tempted to reunite with a manager under whom he was so prolific, the Turkish League and Fenerbahce are not quite as prestigious as his preferred destination.
Rashford wants to play at the top level of European football, and while Fenerbahce could feature in this year’s Champions League via the qualifiers, they are unlikely to be as successful in the competition as last year’s semi-finalists, Barcelona.
Hansi Flick’s side had been pursuing the signature of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, but the Spanish international has now penned a new long-term deal with his current club.
Given the aforementioned relationship between Rashford and Amorim, Barcelona have little fear of a repeat of the Williams transfer situation.
The one obstacle that could get in the way of this deal is the uncertain financial predicament that Barcelona find themselves in. There are often reports that the club has several financial issues and are looking for ways to make money, including selling parts of the pitch in the past.
While the Fenerbache offer may appeal to Rashford on a personal level due to Mourinho, it wouldn’t be the illustrious move that Barcelona is.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.