Despite a season in which he averaged a goal contribution every 94 minutes and had 14 goals and 14 assists in total, Barcelona made the decision not to take up the €30 million option to sign Marcus Rashford permanently and spent close to €80 million to bring in Anthony Gordon instead. It does open up the door for Chelsea to make a move for the Manchester United winger.
Rashford is now set to return to Man Utd. But he might not have a future at the club he has more than 400 appearances and over 200 goal contributions for.
Chelsea do need a quality option on the left flank. But it looks like they will sign Rashford only on one condition.
According Simon Phillips on his Substack (via Football FanCast), any move Chelsea would consider at this stage would almost certainly be in the form of a loan deal rather than a permanent transfer.
Chelsea want Marcus Rashford on loan
Internal talks are believed to have been held at Chelsea already over a potential move for Rashford. So, there is some level of interest there for sure.
Yet, it looks like Chelsea are not willing to sign him permanently. It is not hard to see why that might be the case.
Chelsea did spend £40 million to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United last summer. That has not worked out at all. And the Blues might have a tough time recouping the fee.
The summer before that, they signed Jadon Sancho on loan. They had to pay £5 million to Manchester United, just not to sign him on a permanent basis at the end of the campaign.
So, Chelsea’s record when it comes to signing wingers from Man Utd is not great. The precaution is unsurprising and perhaps necessary.
Why Marcus Rashford might be different
Here is why a move for Rashford might actually be different, compared to Sancho or Garnacho in the past.
Rashford is a lot more proven. In fact, he would tick both boxes that Chelsea are believed to be looking for this summer.
He is Premier League-proven and he is experienced. And he has been a solid contributor wherever he has been, even though social media might make you feel otherwise.
Over his 400-plus appearances for Manchester United, Rashford has averaged a goal or an assist every 132 minutes.
That number should speak for itself. He has been a consistent contributor throughout his career, no matter whether you rate him highly or not. Rashford is most certainly better than any other option Chelsea have right now.
