Tottenham Hotspur might be planning something that sounds a little crazy on paper: trying to sign Marcus Rashford on the cheap.
According to a report from The i Paper, Spurs are thinking about making a run at the Manchester United forward but they don’t want to pay his £40 million release clause. Instead, they’re hoping to get him for less than that. Which is a gamble, because release clauses exist for a reason.
Rashford’s situation is complicated. He spent last season on loan at Barcelona after falling out of favor at Old Trafford. And honestly, he played well. Fourteen goals and 14 assists in 49 games across all competitions. That’s not bad for a guy who was basically told he wasn’t wanted at his boyhood club anymore.
Barcelona had an option to buy him permanently for £26 million, but that deadline passed. And now Barcelona just spent £69.3 million to sign Anthony Gordon. That’s Rashford’s England teammate, by the way. So the door at Camp Nou looks pretty shut for now.
Rashford is 28 years old. He’s currently in the United States with England’s World Cup squad. He started on the bench against Croatia last week but came on in the second half and scored a nice goal in the 85th minute to help the Three Lions win 4-2. So he’s not done. He can still play.
What’s Tottenham’s Play Here?
Tottenham have been busy this summer. They’ve already brought in Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi. They also had a £75 million bid rejected for Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali. So they’re clearly trying to upgrade the squad for Roberto De Zerbi.
But trying to lowball United for Rashford feels like a long shot. United could just say no and wait for another buyer. Or Rashford could push for a return to Barcelona even if that seems unlikely right now. The whole thing is messy.
What makes it interesting is that Rashford clearly wants to be somewhere he’s wanted. He was essentially forced out at United. He balled out at Barcelona. And now Tottenham are coming in with a discount offer. It’s not the most flattering way to pursue a player, but it’s a negotiation tactic.
Whether Spurs can actually pull this off depends on a few things. Rashford’s preference would be to go back to Barcelona, but that probably isn’t happening now. Does he see Tottenham as a real option? Does United want to sell to a direct rival? And does De Zerbi actually have a plan for him that’s better than what he had at Barcelona?
We’ll see. The transfer window is still wide open and this one could drag for a while.
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