Paris St Germain star man Kylian Mbappe was left frustrated after he failed in his efforts to bring Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford to the Ligue 1 outfit, reports claim.
Mbappe was determined to land the United academy graduate as part of the club’s strategy to bring in another striker.
PSG offloaded both Mauro Icardi and former United player Angel di Maria in the summer and were in need of another option in their star-studded attacking department that also consists of the likes of Neymar and Lionel Messi.
When Mbappe signed a contract extension with the French champions, he was offered unprecedented boardroom powers over transfers on top of a weekly wage of around £1m and a bumper £127m signing bonus.
According to RMC Sport, “At the time of extending his contract, the Parisian striker also received the assurance of playing in attack.”
“He [Mbappe] was told that the team was going to be improved, but still subject to the rules of financial fair play,” says a source close to the negotiations.”
“Notably on the table, another world-class striker. Another number 9 like Scamacca, Lewandowski or even Dembélé and Rashford to whom he is very close.”
The same sentiments are echoed by the Daily Star who report that Mbappe put Rashford’s name forward to the club, with manager Christophe Galtier in full agreement with the suggestion.
The United winger, who was on top of the Frenchman’s wishlist, had his brother in Paris to meet with his suitors to assess the feasibility of a deal.
A move never materialized, although a report emerged that rubbished any news of a move as simply the player and his entourage trying to back club chiefs into a corner with regard to a contract extension and personal terms.
Rashford is among a number of United players whose contracts expire at the end of the season. There is an option to extend his current £200,000-a-week arrangement by another year.
United and Erik ten Hag have a decision to make. Should they look to tie down the Englishman to a longer stay at Old Trafford or facilitate an exit while there is still time to do so and possibly get value from a sale?