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What's the rumour?
Real Madrid are looking to sign Manchester United youngster Marcus Rashford according to El Gol Digital. The report suggests that the Spanish giants are looking at the 20-year-old as a cheaper alternative to Eden Hazard of Chelsea and Neymar of PSG.
The report further goes on to add that the English giants will be willing to sell their academy graduate only if they are able to secure the signature of Bayern Munich winger Douglas Costa (who is reportedly available for a fee of £39 million).
In case you didn't know...
Marcus Rashford is undoubtedly a fan favourite at Old Trafford coming through the youth ranks and taking to senior football like a fish to water. However, the 20-year-old has suffered from a lack of form and has struggled for game time with Anthony Martial and new signing Alexis Sanchez as competition.
The forward is very highly rated at Carrington, with Jose Mourinho regularly praising the development of the youngster. "What I see makes me really happy, to see the same boy. Marcus is a fantastic boy, very grounded. For sure, we love him and we believe in him, and he’s going to have the chances", the Portuguese manager said earlier in March.
The heart of the matter
Despite the dip in form this season, the England international has been impressive in the last few games for Manchester United. His brace against Liverpool was followed up by an impressive performance (in a losing cause) against Sevilla.
He led the line for England in the recent international friendly against the Netherlands. There is no disputing he is one of the most talented youngsters in the English setup at the moment. Hence, his link to Real Madrid seems like a bolt out of the blue.
Rumour probability/reliability
2/10
El Gol Digital, to put it mildly, doesn't enjoy the greatest of success in predicting transfers. But, despite that, the rumour seems to be outrageous given the cult status Marcus holds among the United faithful.
From Wythenshawe, just 20-years-old, and a lifelong Manchester United fan, he is unlikely to leave Old Trafford without having a proper crack at his dream. Add to that, the fact that the move hinges on another move (that of Douglas Costa) makes it a little more unlikely.
Video
Here are his best bits for Manchester United.
Author's take
Despite popular belief, Marcus Rashford has been everpresent in Jose Mourinho's squad since he took over as Manchester United manager. He has had the highest number of appearances among any United player under the former Porto manager.
It is highly unlikely that the former Real Madrid manager would sell his biggest assets, especially at this stage of development of the squad. This seems more like speculation than anything else.
