Marcus Rashford given Man Utd escape route by Serie A giant | OneFootball

Serie A giants AC Milan are considering a loan move for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford.

The England international has been mired in transfer speculation ever since he revealed his desire for a "new challenge" in the middle of December. Ruben Amorim had already dropped Rashford for last month's Manchester derby by the time he made those emphatic statements, sparking a four-game exile to punish what the head coach deemed to be an unacceptable lifestyle off the pitch.

While Amorim has remained insistent that Rashford can force his way back into United's starting XI, the club have reportedly put their underperforming academy graduate up for sale.

Offers from elite European sides have scarce in recent weeks, with the well-funded Saudi Pro League leading the charge thus far, but Milan are thought to be interested in the 27-year-old misfit according to the Daily Mail.

Marcus Rashford was an unused substitute against Newcastle / Carl Recine/GettyImages

The Serie A outfit only recently changed manager, bringing in the wily Portuguese pragmatist Sergio Conceicao to replace Paulo Fonseca at the start of the week. One constant who has remained at the club is Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The former United forward, who played 43 matches alongside Rashford for the Red Devils, is an operating partner at RedBird Capital - Milan's owners. Ibrahimovic's role is typically vague, but he highlighted his influence over squad building in the summer when Fonseca claimed that the club had finished making signings. "The manager manages, the club does the rest," Ibrahimovic warned, "the window will close when I say it does."

The January window is now open and United are willing to entertain any loan offer which includes an obligation-to-buy clause. Some reports suggest that Amorim's side would accept a fee as low as £40m in a bid to remove Rashford's wages - which are thought to be in excess of £325,000 - from the accounts.

Table-topping Napoli have also expressed an interest in Rashford. Manager Antonio Conte has a reputation for poaching former Premier League players; overseeing the arrival of Rashford's ex-United teammates Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku last summer alone. However, the economic demands involved in any move for the wantaway forward are thought to be a "stretch" for Napoli.