Manchester United are set to release several star players this summer while Marcus Rashford's Barcelona future hangs in the balance
Marcus Rashford reacts
Marcus Rashford is one of the players Manchester United will be keen to move on (Image: Ruben Albarran/Shutterstock)
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Manchester United are preparing to overhaul their squad this summer as they look to reduce their annual wage bill by at least £33million. The Reds will release Casemiro, Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia - removing approximately £640,000 from their weekly expenditure.
Casemiro was brought in on a substantial salary in 2022 following losses to Brighton and Brentford, during United's difficult start to the campaign under Erik ten Hag. The Brazilian's spell since arriving from Real Madrid has been largely successful, and United now face the challenging prospect of replacing him with at least two new midfielders, both targets at M16 this summer.
Left-back Malacia also joined in the same summer, but following an encouraging debut season, injuries destroyed his Old Trafford career. Sancho, meanwhile, will be regarded as one of the club's most disappointing signings, having made minimal impact since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2021. The winger has spent this campaign on loan at Aston Villa, but found regular starts under Unai Emery hard to come by.
While United are poised to make considerable savings on wages, additional reductions could be influenced by Marcus Rashford's future. It is understood the club have no intention of re-integrating him into their first-team squad next season under Michael Carrick.
The winger has enjoyed an outstanding campaign on loan at Barcelona with 14 goals and 14 assists across all competitions - securing him a place in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for this summer's World Cup.
The Catalan club have a £26million buy option included in their loan deal with United to make his move permanent this summer. Barcelona have until 15 June to activate their purchase clause for Rashford, but reports from Spain suggest they're hesitant to pay the agreed sum and could seek to renegotiate the terms.
Barcelona have also been connected with various new left-sided attacking targets this summer, casting further uncertainty over whether they'll sign Rashford. The Press Association report that the Spanish outfit have shown interest in Newcastle's Anthony Gordon - a potential replacement for Rashford.
Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United
Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Although Gordon has featured primarily as a frontman this campaign under Eddie Howe, the England international has built his reputation largely as a wide player.
Additional left-wing targets being mentioned include Victor Munoz, who has become one of this season's standout performers in La Liga with Osasuna. The attacker has a €40m (approximately £35m) release clause written into his contract, meaning, similarly to Gordon, bringing him in would cost considerably more than the £26m required for Barcelona to secure Rashford.
Nevertheless, either player joining the Camp Nou would spell trouble for Rashford, as the Spanish side would almost definitely not invest in two left-wingers during the same transfer window. Should Barcelona find themselves unable to meet the £26m asking price for Rashford, they may look to pursue a more affordable alternative.
Ajax winger Mika Godts has emerged as one such option, having racked up an impressive 17 goals and 14 assists from 40 appearances across all competitions.
Yet regardless of who Barcelona ultimately pursue this summer, it appears Rashford himself would be keen to remain at the club. When quizzed about his future earlier this month, he said: "I don't know. We will see.
"I came here to win. I want to win as many things as I can. This is one more to add to this.
"This is a wonderful team, they're going to win so much in the future; to be a part of that would be special."
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