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Manchester United superstar Marcus Rashford turned down a mammoth £400,000-per-week contract offer from French giants PSG last summer, according to reports.
The 25-year-old is enjoying a stellar campaign with United in 2022/23 under Dutch manager Erik ten Hag and Rashford is on course to break the 30-goal barrier in a single season for the first time in his career.
However, this time last year, Rashford’s future in Manchester appeared to be in jeopardy after a lengthy spell of poor performances and many pundits suggested that a move away from his boyhood club was in the works.
Rashford to remain a red?
Rashford’s renaissance under Erik ten Hag has been remarkable and the club’s academy graduate is believed to be in talks to extend his contract with United, with his current deal due to expire in 2024.
According to sports publication, The Athletic, Rashford gave serious consideration to PSG’s offer last year, and a clean break from United with a fresh start abroad was thought to appeal to the attacker, who wasn’t enjoying his football in the Premier League.
United were aware of PSG’s interest in Rashford, though they were confident that the Manchester-born forward would ultimately reject any of the Ligue 1 champion’s advances.
Rashford’s decision to stay with Man Utd was vindicated and after a strong pre-season programme, the England international caught fire, clocking goal after goal for the Red Devils in multiple competitions.
Rashford scored at Wembley Stadium against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup Final in February to help clinch United’s first piece of silverware since 2017.
Even though Rashford rejected the mega-money contract offer from PSG, the Parisians’ chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi still spoke in glowing terms about the wide attacker during the World Cup, confirming that talks were held over a potential switch.
“We’re not hiding it, we spoke before. But the moment was not a good moment for both sides”, Al-Khelaifi told Sky Sports in December.
“Today, if he’s a free agent of course we can talk to him directly, but we are not going to talk to him now. Let him focus on the World Cup. Then, in January, hopefully, if we’re interested we will talk to him.”
A bumper new contract on the table?
Last year, United activated a one-year extension clause in Rashford’s current contract, though the club moved quickly to open talks about a new long-term agreement with their star performer shortly after.
Had United not triggered the extension, Rashford would have been free to discuss potential moves with suitors from overseas about a possible free transfer.
However, now a new contract tying Rashford to United for his prime years looks the likeliest outcome, and the attacker, who is current on approximately £200,000 per-week, can expect to earn a considerable pay bump.
Rashford can negotiate from a position of strength following a haul of 18 goals in 25 appearances since the World Cup and any new owners taking control of United between now and the summer will want the club’s biggest star to commit his future to the Manchester giants quickly.
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