MARCUS RASHFORD is being monitored across a number of Premier League clubs, it has been claimed.
Borussia Dortmund would also be interested in the Manchester United striker.
The Man Utd hitman sensationally revealed last month that he is looking for a “new challenge”.
Rashford was immediately linked with several clubs abroad, including Paris Saint-Germain and Italian duo AC Milan and Juventus.
But now the Prem would be interested in him as well.
The Athletic claim that “Premier League suitors are weighing up” a bid for the fugitive striker.
They claim that United’s domestic rivals will have to face German giants Borussia Dortmund to get the England international.
Rashford, 27, builds loyalty at Old Trafford by revealing his intention to leave the club in an unauthorized interview.
The forward dropped the bombshell after being exiled by the new Red Devils coach Rubén Amorim.
He told journalist Henry Winter: “For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps.
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“When I leave, it will be: ‘No feelings. ‘
“You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.
“If I know a scenario is already bad, I will make it worse.
“I’ve noticed how other players have gone into the afterlife and I don’t need to be that person.
“When I leave, I will make a statement and it will come out of me. ”
By Martin Lipton
MARCUS RASHFORD finds himself at a crossroads.
But now the England star has to make the biggest choice he has ever faced – does he care about cash, or about his career?
Rashford’s shocking admission that he is “ready for a new challenge” after around two decades under the Manchester United umbrella has replaced the dynamic around his future.
That Rashford may not be compatible with the style of Ruben Amorim, who has now responded to Rashford’s comments, is not a huge surprise.
The Portuguese coach prefers a 3-4-3 formation, but he seems to have selected Rasmus Hojlund as the starting centre-forward and needs two “narrow” attackers, with the width coming from the full-backs.
Rashford has looked to play through the middle, but is sometimes more productive exploiting wide spaces, and those skills don’t necessarily fit the way Amorim needs to play.
Still, going public with his apparent displeasure at being completely excluded from the Manchester derby squad was a primary decision, even though he promised there would be “no hard feelings” if he left his boyhood club.
In truth, Rashford left United from the moment he signed this new £325,000-a-week contract in 2023.
Something was broken in his connection to the club. His form dropped, his threat dissipated, his issues with the hierarchy deepened.
When Erik ten Hag dumped him for hosting a birthday party after a derby defeat, and then had health problems after missing the FA Cup match against Newport, it already felt like the writing on the wall.
The facts suggest that the romance is over. After scoring 30 goals in all competitions to earn this new contract, he scored 15 in the 18 months after signing the contract.
The arrival of Amorim has just accelerated what was inevitable.
Now it is up to Rashford what his future holds.
If it’s just about money, its functions might be limited.
It is hard to see a Prem rival coughing up the same £16.9m annual salary – although Rashford’s comments have probably knocked £20m-plus off any transfer fee.
But Real Madrid is full of big-budget strikers and Barcelona’s budget remains constrained by La Liga’s currency controls.
In Europe, that leaves PSG, although they have yet to move to a one-club league.
Or, in the rest of the world, he may simply stick with Ivan Toney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Firmino and company and head to the Saudi desert.
Profitable, yes. Certainly another environment, and that could be precisely what Rashford wants and needs. But football? Not in a million years.
What Rashford wants more than anything is to play for trophies and show his talent.
There is no higher level than the Premier League, which attracts more people than any other national competition.
And in this Premier League there is a club that is asking for a number nine goalscorer, especially if he can also play on the left flank to balance the team and extend his threat.
Rashford has always been more Longsight than London.
Yet Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta, might be the perfect fit.
The Gunners’ lack of a proper scorer is one of the major factors many fans feel has hurt their title challenge this year.
Gabriel Jesus has never been a natural finisher, while Kai Havertz is still a converted midfielder.
And while the link-up between Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka makes their right flank deadly, faith in Gabriel Martinelli on the left is waning.
Few have triumphed at Arsenal after leaving United: Danny Welbeck has not been a failure.
Rashford has all the attributes to replace this story, if he can reflect what everyone knows is in him.
And by freeing himself, by giving himself the chance to start again, Rashford can leave a comment for Amorim that will resonate for a long time.
Amorim has no ill will towards Rashford, but believes his very good interview was ill-advised.
He told Sky Sports: “It is a hard situation.
“I perceive that these players have many other people around them, which makes possible options that are not the player’s first idea.
“They chose to do the interview because it’s just Marcus. “
The Portuguese added: “I’m focusing on Marcus’s improvement.
“We want a talented guy like Marcus.
“Now I do the interview and see what I see in the field. “
United will be back in action on Sunday, travelling to the Emirates to take on Arsenal in their FA Cup third-round clash.
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