Manchester United seem to have altered their transfer policy this summer. While in recent years they have tended to chase the biggest names possible, recruiting youthful, high potential players is now their main goal.
The signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace was confirmed earlier today, while Daniel James also joined earlier in the window.
In the midst of a major youth movement, it should not come as a surprise that the club have also made moves to tie down Marcus Rashford to a new long-term contract. The 21-year old has been in negotiations with the club for a number of months, and it appears the sides are close to reaching an agreement.
The Telegraph are reporting that Rashford is set to sign a new five-year deal, which will see him earn an eye-watering £250,000 per-week. The report suggests that United hope to announce the deal before they depart for their pre-season tour in Australia on July 8th.
It had been rumoured that Barcelona were interested in signing the player, but a new contract would surely put those suggestions to bed. Whether this contract provides value for money for the club is an altogether different matter.
Rashford scored 10 goals in the league for United last season, spending time as both a winger and in a more central position. While that is the highest goal tally of his career, he has not really taken the major stride in his development that many hoped he would at this stage of his career.
He was expected to become a top class player after bursting onto the scene a few years ago, and while he certainly still has plenty of time to do just that, his form has been largely hit and miss. He has all the tools to be prolific striker, but has not put them together as of yet.
In a sense, United had little choice but to hand him such a massive deal. They backed themselves into a corner by handing huge contracts to the like of Alexis Sanchez, meaning other players in the squad would be seeking similarly lucrative deals.
With the club obviously unwilling to lose Rashford, this contract was never really in doubt. Now we will wait and see if he can justify such a pay package.
