Tottenham Hotspur are preparing to launch a formal bid for Marcus Rashford this summer, with Manchester United willing to sell at a figure between £26m and £40m.
But the 27-year-old’s own preference is for a return to Barcelona or a move to Bayern Munich, making Spurs the backup option rather than the frontrunner.
According to Pete Hall of the iPaper, Tottenham are poised to submit an official offer for Rashford as part of Roberto De Zerbi’s attacking rebuild.
The report confirms Spurs are targeting a fee closer to the £26m that Barcelona had in place as a buy option – which has since lapsed – rather than the £40m agreement Aston Villa had struck for the player twelve months earlier.
The Fee Structure and What United Actually Want
United have green-lit a permanent sale this summer. Rashford has not featured for the club since December 2024, and with a clause in his contract that would trigger a wage increase upon United’s return to the Champions League, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are motivated to move the player on before that kicks in.
A further contractual detail adds a wrinkle: a reported clause in Rashford’s deal allows any club – barring Liverpool and Manchester City – to sign him for £40m.
Tottenham would be eligible under that provision. Whether they pursue it at that level or attempt to negotiate downward toward the £26m Barcelona benchmark is the live question.
Rashford’s contract runs until 2028, which gives United meaningful leverage in any negotiation, regardless of how eager they are to offload the wages.
Spurs, who have already spent £52m on Jan Paul van Hecke and added Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson on free transfers, are clearly operating with intent this window – as their broader pursuit of targets from Manchester United’s circle this summer has demonstrated.
Rashford’s Preference – and Why Spurs Are Third in Line
That is not vague transfer noise. Hall’s iPaper report is explicit: Rashford’s first choice is a return to Barcelona, even on a second consecutive loan if a permanent deal cannot be structured.
His second preference is a move to Bayern Munich, where Harry Kane is already established. Transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher has separately reported the Bayern angle as a genuine option rather than background speculation.
Barcelona’s position complicates things. Their €30m (£26m) option to sign Rashford permanently has expired, and the club have since committed £69m (€80m) to signing Anthony Gordon and directed remaining resources toward a new striker.
A second loan is theoretically possible, but United have been described as unwilling to sanction another temporary arrangement. The full breakdown of Rashford’s current situation at Old Trafford and his stance on a United return underlines just how tangled his options have become.
Should neither Barcelona nor Bayern materialise, Hall confirms Rashford would prefer to remain at United rather than join another Premier League club. That is a significant signal for Spurs to absorb before they table their offer.
The Verdict – Spurs Can Bid, But Can They Convince?
There is also the wages issue to resolve. Wherever Rashford lands, he will need to accept a substantial cut from his current Old Trafford package – a figure that has made him one of the more complex pieces of business in this window regardless of the transfer fee involved.
Reports linking Bayern Munich to a concrete approach are worth monitoring; if that firms up, Tottenham’s pursuit becomes academic. Competing interest from the Bundesliga champions is the variable most likely to determine whether Spurs ever get a real hearing.
Tottenham can table a bid. United will almost certainly engage. But Rashford’s destination this summer is likely to be decided by whether Barcelona or Bayern move first – not by how determined De Zerbi’s project sounds in a press briefing.
