Marcus Rashford could join Tottenham this summer, despite continuing to be linked with north London rivals Arsenal.
The England forward has long been tipped for a move to the Gunners, although no attempt to sign him has been made this summer as his future remains in limbo.
After spending last season on loan at Barcelona, Rashford saw his hopes of joining them permanently fall apart when England teammate Anthony Gordon completed a £70million move from Newcastle to the Camp Nou.
This means that, as things stand, the 28-year-old will report back to Manchester United for pre-season training in the coming days.
Rashford hasn’t played for the Red Devils since the back end of 2024, spending time on loan at Aston Villa and then Barcelona.
However, United are still expected to try and offload the academy graduate before the end of the summer, with the club keen to get his wages of more than £325,000-a-week off the payroll.
And Rashford is also keen to leave Old Trafford, having fallen out with the club’s hierarchy, as well as previous boss Ruben Amorim.
Rash decision
As speculation continues over Rashford’s future, Arsenal have once again been linked with the winger, after long being touted to sign him in previous transfer windows.
The Gunners are keen to strengthen in the left-wing area following Leandro Trossard‘s departure, and were recently dealt a blow in their pursuit of Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, who is set for new contract talks with the Spanish giants.
And while Rashford is expected to be available for a cut-price £30million, talkSPORT’s Chief Football Correspondent believes Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could be put off signing him.
Crook said talkSPORT’s Hawskbee and Jacobs show: “I’m just not sure Marcus Rashford is a Mikel Arteta-type player.
“If you look at what he’s done, and why Arsenal have been so successful in his tenure, he weeded out the sort of problematic characters from the dressing room, so I’m not sure that he would necessarily welcome Marcus Rashford with open arms.”
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Gunner go across town?
Moving on to where Rashford could go instead of Arsenal, Crook then surprisingly pointed to bitter rivals Tottenham.
He insisted that head coach Roberto De Zerbi could be drawn to the prospect of turning the Englishman’s career around, while Spurs haven’t been afraid to splash the cash this summer.
After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, the north London outfit have spent heavily as they look to strengthen, spending £237m on new players which includes record signing Sandro Tonali.
On Rashford, Crook continued: “I think if he goes anywhere in London, I’m keeping an eye on Tottenham.
“I could see that deal happening. Roberto De Zerbi believing that he can get the best out of Marcus Rashford.”
Outlining the finances of a potential deal, Crook explained that while Rashford is set to be available for an appealing transfer fee, he admitted his wage demands could be a stumbling block.
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Crook added: “When you say a cheap deal, I think probably an offer of £30million will be accepted by Manchester United, but you have to factor in he’s on £325,000 a week at Old Trafford, and doesn’t seem too willing to take a pay cut.”
‘Every top-six team’ would want Rashford
While Rashford’s time as a United player looks to be up, talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings believes he will still be holding out hope to be given a second chance by newly-appointed permanent boss Michael Carrick.
The local lad graduated from United‘s academy and has scored 138 goals in 426 games for the senior side – but has not played for his boyhood club since December 2024.
Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan in January 2025 after falling out of favour under ex-United head coach Ruben Amorim, and has previously drawn attention for off-the-field issues, including a controversial trip to a Belfast nightclub in January 2024.
Jennings told talkSPORT Drive: “Carrick’s done an excellent job at that club.
“If he now looks at Marcus Rashford and thinks that there is a world where Rashford could come back into the fold, maybe get him playing again, maybe get the Stretford End singing his song again to the Stone Roses, that would be I think the dream for Rashford.
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“It feels optimistic but that’s as good as it can get for Rashford now.”
Jennings insisted that if it weren’t for previous disciplinary issues, Rashford would be of interest to all top Premier League clubs.
He continued: “If you remove all of the baggage, all of the compensation. Just as a footballer, on form. I think he’s excellent.
“I think he’s an excellent footballer and if he didn’t have the baggage and didn’t have the wage expectation, I think basically every team in the top six… [would be interested].
“I think there is reputational damage, I think there is professionalism. I remember when he was meant to be playing for Manchester United, he missed training, he was in Belfast, he was boozing. I think there is reputational damage to Rashford.”
He added: “There is also the financial demands of having Rashford in your camp. If we forget everything and we just talk about the footballer on his best day, I think every team in the top six would want him.
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“The reason they don’t want him is the reputational damage and the wage demand.”
