Manchester United’s bid to offload Marcus Rashford this month has suffered a big blow after AC Milan’s plans to finance his signing by offloading Noah Okafor collapsed after a failed medical at RB Leipzig – to leave a new side as the favourites for the 60-cap England forward.
Rashford is preparing for an emotional exit from Old Trafford this month after confirming he needs to try something new and, with Manchester United not in his path, talks have been held with a number of potential suitors to find him a new club. To that end, his brother and agent, Dwaine Maynard, has been actively looking to find him a new club this month.
And last week Maynard held positive talks with officials at Milan, who had become the first club to actively engage in a bid to sign him. And while those talks were positive, United had made clear that any deal would need to contain both a 50% coverage of his wages – which equated to some £162,500 a week – as well as an obligation to buy if moving as part of a loan.
Milan for their part needed to shift players of their own first and the planned sale of Okafor to RB Leipzig had been step one towards their planned capture of Rashford.
However, after flying to Germany to meet and undergo a medical examination with the Bundesliga team, the 24-year-old Swiss foreigner saw his signing fail by failing physical evaluations.
Confirming the news that a deal is now OFF, Sky Germany reporter Philipp Hinze has revealed that RB Leipzig have ‘cancelled the transfer’ after the results of his medical showed that Okafor is “not ready for action”.
Hinze wrote in . Okafor will not move to Leipzig!
As a direct result of the failure to shift Okafor, who has scored just seven goals in 52 appearances for Milan since a 2023 move from RB Salzburg, it remains in serious doubt whether the Rossoneri can now finance the move for Rashford.
Just a day earlier, Sky Sports showed plans to launch a contract for Rashford, hoping to beat out other suitors and add Borussia Dortmund to a potential deal.
They said: “The Milan adviser, and Rashford’s former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic have publicly stated that they will talk to Rashford about a decision.
“Borussia Dortmund are also interested in the player, however, we believe that a resolution may prove too problematic for them due to the salary. However, United have had a positive date with Dortmund who loaned them Jadon Sancho last season.
“Sancho’s movement has worked for all parties: it has done well for Dortmund and it is understood that United has recovered all its salary its spell there.
“Rashford’s camp has spoken to several European clubs to explore a deal. As things stand, United’s preference remains a fair loan, if they allow him to leave. »»
The news that Milan are not selling to Okofor leaves Milan in a difficult situation, and unless they can locate the client for the player, less difficult, said to do so after a failed medical or player discharge, their Rashford touchdown hopes They can be as smart as It’s over.
Along with speaking to Milan, Maynard also held talks with Juventus, the Bianconeri not being in a position to secure his signature as of late. Como also threw their hats into the ring, with Rashford reportedly turning down chances of joining Cesc Fabregas’ side.
The player’s preference is noted as a resolution in Spain, and preferably with Barcelona, their finances make any excitement unlikely and difficult.
And with Rudy Galetti confirming Teamtalk earlier this month that Borussia Dortmund was also in the aggregate for the designation of Rashford, the Bundesliga team is temporarily emerging as the best team located to sign the star. They agreed to get rid of the Dutch end Donyell Malen at Aston Villa on Tuesday night, providing the Bundesliga team to finance, and space through their team, to sign at Rashford.
Rashford arguably wouldn’t be United’s only much-publicised departure this month, with Napoli doing their most productive to bring in Alejandro Garnacho.
United’s preference would be to keep the young Argentine winger, who has shown an attitude to recover from his recent omission in the Manchester Derby.
However, following the agreed sale of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to PSG for a package of €70m or more, Antonio Conte’s side are in a position to turn to Garnacho as a replacement imaginable.
Following his interest, our journalist Ben Jacobs evaluated the consequences of this transaction, after revealing the great plan of United to put the head of the 20 -year -old Star United.
Meanwhile, United have surprisingly identified a little-known Red Bull Salzburg ace as a replacement for Rashford, with Fabrizio Romano revealing how the player is now being considered as a shock option to move to Old Trafford by club chiefs.
And despite everything, Rubén Amorim is nevertheless on the verge of unloading the first signing of his time after having rejected Arsenal’s interest in closing a deal for a highly coveted Paraguayan.
By Samuel Banister
AC Milan
One of Rashford’s most insistent suitors, with interest pushed by former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Milan are still in a state of evolution after replacing head coach Paulo Fonseca with Sergio Conceicao.
Conceica has used the 4-3-3 in training until now, compared to the 4-2-3-1 that Fonseca used.
On paper, Milan’s strongest front three has Rafael Leao on the left wing, Alvaro Morata at centre-forward and Christian Pulisic on the right wing.
Although he encountered some issues with Fonseca, Leao is widely regarded as one of Milan’s best players, so if he is fit and firing, he could have the left-wing spot nailed down – forcing Rashford to take Morata’s place as a striker instead.
Although he has had some problems with Fonseca, Leao is widely considered one of the Milan players, so he has compatibility and shooting, he may have the position on the insured left, which will force Rashford to take the position of Morata as a striker. .
Rashford and Morata are different types of striker, of course, with the former being a more mobile option and the latter better with his back to goal, so it could depend on what kind of game plan Conceicao wants to deploy against a particular opponent.
Alternatively, Rashford could get his wish of playing on the left wing, but it would be hard to imagine a way for him and Leao to feature in the same team then.
From the wider role, he would likely be tasked with drifting inside to support Morata and benefit from the Spaniard bringing others into play.
There may still be a way for Morata, Leao and Rashford to all appear together, either taking Pulisic’s position on the right wing through Rashford or changing form through Milan. Conceicao used a 4-4-2 when he was in charge of Porto. , so if he is looking to reflect that in his new job, Leao could simply play on the left and Pulisic on the right, with Rashford supporting Morata up front.
Once again, this would allow him to play against Morata, but when he oscillated between the two roles he can play, Rashford can simply put in goal situations.
Borussia Dortmund
At the same time, last year, Borussia Dortmund took Jadon Sancho to Manchester United’s loan.
There has been room for many attackers in Nuri Sahin’s recent line-ups; A 4-1-3-2 allowed the former Liverpool midfielder to bring in two wingers, a 10 and two attackers.
If Dortmund were to persist with this shape, Rashford would have a few ways to fit in. Perhaps he could thrive as one of the two strikers, alongside either Serhou Guirassy or Maximilian Beier – especially since they are the only two out-and-out centre-forwards in the squad.
It would also be possible to play on the left wing, but his English colleague Jamie Gittens has been in form there this season and deserves to keep his place.
The opposite flank is therefore less difficult for Rashford to claim his position, especially when Malen heads to Villa.
Karim Adeyemi would remain a spare option for Dortmund, capable of playing anywhere across the frontline, in a similar way to how Rashford wouldn’t be exclusively limited to one role.