Tottenham in pole position for Man Utd ace Marcus Rashford but key issue emerges | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur are leading the race for Marcus Rashford, though a clear problem could emerge in talks with the Manchester United forward, a report has claimed.

Rashford joined Barcelona on a season-long loan last summer which included an option to buy worth €30million (£26m). Rashford proved his doubters wrong by shining in Catalonia, registering eight goals and seven assists in 32 league appearances as Hansi Flick’s side retained their LaLiga title.

The winger was hopeful of signing for Barca permanently, but the Blaugrana decided against activating their €30m purchase clause.

Barca instead wanted to negotiate another loan deal for Rashford, which Man Utd were never going to accept.

Barca have since moved on by signing Rashford’s England team-mate Anthony Gordon for £69m and entering talks for fellow winger Karim Adeyemi of Borussia Dortmund.

Those developments have forced Rashford to consider other solutions. Italian source AS Roma Live claim Tottenham are currently favourites to snap up the 28-year-old, but their lack of Champions League football could prove to be a stumbling block.

‘Tottenham have so far been the club that has made the most concrete contact with the player, who, however, would like to play in the Champions League next season,’ the report claims.

‘Several intermediaries have also sounded out the prospects with Roma and Napoli. Both clubs like his profile, but the player isn’t a priority for the Italian clubs, given his current salary of around €8.4m (£7m), including bonuses.

‘Aston Villa and Newcastle are also interested in the player, as are Galatasaray and, above all, Fenerbahce, who have started real negotiations in recent days.’

The report claims it is ‘not 100 per cent ruled out’ that Barca could re-sign Rashford. However, it is very hard to see them being able to afford his capture if they build on the Gordon deal by landing Adeyemi.

Bayern Munich could be another club to open talks for Rashford, as they hold long-term interest in him.

Our friends at TEAMtalk revealed on Wednesday that Man Utd are open to reintegrating Rashford into Michael Carrick’s squad if he cannot secure a transfer this summer.

The England international was pushed out of Old Trafford by former head coach Ruben Amorim, but new boss Carrick remains a big fan of his.

With regards to Spurs, Rashford is one of several winger options they are evaluating. Roberto De Zerbi’s side have reportedly shortlisted Rafael Leao, Savinho, Cody Gakpo, Antonio Nusa and Francisco Trincao.

Out of those players, AC Milan’s Leao appears to be their main target. The Portuguese is reportedly ‘ready to say yes’ to a €50m (£42.5m) switch to north London.

He has long wanted a Premier League move, and Spurs are poised to give him an exciting new opportunity.