Tottenham Hotspur look set to blow their chance of signing Marcus Rashford this summer due to their stance over Manchester United’s price tag, while it’s also been revealed where the forward actually sees his future.
Roberto De Zerbi is already re-shaping his squad in north London, adding much more experience to a team that has endured back-to-back 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League.
Tottenham have so far brought in Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers, while Jan Paul van Hecke has also arrived from Brighton in a big-money deal.
While their hunt now appears to have switched to fixing a poorly balanced midfield, with Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, West Ham star Mateus Fernandes and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton all on their radr.
Indeed, it’s claimed that Spurs are looking to close a record-breaking £90million deal for Tonali ‘very quickly’, although Manchester United are expected to make a bid for Fernandes imminently.
The north London club are not just tracking midfielders, though, with the need for a new left winger becoming even more glaring during the 2025/26 campaign.
Opting to sell an aging Son Heung-min proved to be a major stake as numerous options, including the likes of Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons and striker Richarlison, all failed to convince.
While Manchester City star Savinho recently dropped a major hint that he could be Spurs-bound, but then very quickly deleted it, there are other options available.
Tottenham not willing to pay Rashford asking price
One of which is Man Utd forward Rashford, who has long been linked with a move to either the white or red half of north London.
Rashford wowed while on loan at Barcelona this past season, scoring 14 goals and notching just as many assists in 49 games in all competitions for the Catalan outfit.
But instead of making Rashford’s loan move permanent, Barcelona opted to sign Anthony Gordon in a shock €80m (£69.3m) deal from Newcastle United last month.
Rashford, who had a €30m (£25.8m) purchase option in his loan agreement with Barcelona, now faces the prospect of returning to Old Trafford after his stint with England at the World Cup draws to a close.
And, while inews reports how Tottenham want Rashford to continue their theme of signing battle-hardened Premier League players, it’s also stated how the club are not prepared to match Rashford’s £40m release clause and are looking to negotiate a lower fee with United for the 28-year-old instead.
It’s a classic Spurs tactic from the Daniel Levy era, but baulking at £40m for a player in his prime who had 28 G/A in LaLiga this past season in utter lunacy, especially given how desperate De Zerbi is for more output from his forward line.
As for the player himself, Rashford continues to hold out for another move away from England, in the hope that Barca will renew their interest or Bayern Munich step on the gas for a deal.
Barcelona have actually attempted to re-sign Rashford on a second loan deal but their proposal was rejected by United, who want a permanent sale.
As for Tottenham’s interest, De Zerbi is known to be a huge admirer of Rashford, who came off the bench in England’s World Cup opener against Croatia and netted the fourth goal in an impressive 4-2 win.
Rashford is not the only left-sided attacker on Spurs’ radar, however, with sources revealing how talks have taken place over a move for Liverpool star Cody Gakpo.