Newcastle in the mix for Marcus Rashford as £26m opportunity arises - Report

Anthony Gordon's £70m move from Newcastle United to Barcelona has cast huge doubt on Marcus Rashford's future.

Marcus Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona, with the Spanish side having an option to buy the Manchester United forward in their deal.

Barcelona haven't entirely ruled out activating that £26m clause, but time is running out, and the arrival of Anthony Gordon has suggested they may allow the England star to return to Manchester.

Rashford's career at Man United appears to be over, however, so the big question is where does he go next?

Newcastle linked with Marcus Rashford move

A report in the iPaper has identified Newcastle as a potential destination, even though they immediately concede that he doesn't fit the recruitment strategy.

'At least three Premier League clubs are understood to be monitoring the situation.

'One source added Newcastle could turn to Rashford as a replacement for Gordon, even if it does not fit into the overall recruitment policy of the club."

Aston Villa are thought to be another Premier League side keen to sign the 28-year-old after he spent the second half of the 24/25 season on loan there.

The report claims that the £26m clause in Barca's loan deal is likely to be the figure that could see Rashford leave Man United permanently, which isn't too bad a price for an established England international.

Rashford's wages tell you everything you need to know

We don't buy into the idea that Newcastle are interested, though. It just feels too easy to link Rashford to the club to replace Gordon, who effectively replaced him at Barcelona.

As the iPaper states, he doesn't fit the recruitment profile. Yes, he's a left-winger/centre-forward like Anthony Gordon, so in that sense it works, but he's way older than the age profile Newcastle is looking at right now.

His age could be overlooked, however, if Ross Wilson and Eddie Howe felt he'd be a good fit, but what isn't so easily overlooked is the astonishing wage demands he's likely to bring with him. His current deal has him on £325,000-a-week. To join Newcastle, they'd ask him to drop to at least half that to fit with the wage structure at the club.

It's just not going to happen.

Rumour Rating: 3/10 - Positionally, Rashford fills the gap left by Gordon perfectly. But in every other way, no. Just no.