Paris Saint-Germain are unlikely to sign Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, unless the futures of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe are in doubt.
That is according to reliable reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, who told SoccerNews that the England forward was unlikely to make the switch.
“If he wants to be the man at PSG, then no,” he said. “After all, they also have Neymar, Mbappé and Messi walking around there and if they all stay in Paris then he can never become a regular basic player.
“So it depends on the future of Mbappé, Messi and Neymar. If they stay at PSG, then obviously this is not the time for Rashford to move to Paris.
“That right moment will come when Messi leaves, or when Neymar calls it a day, or Mbappé. He has to think carefully about whether PSG is the best solution for him, but that mainly depends on the departure of one of those three magicians.”
As Di Marzio says, it is highly unlikely that Rashford would be displacing any member of that trio any time soon.
The profile of PSG’s attacking trident is such that each demands a starting spot whenever they are available for selection and are barely ever substituted.
That would leave Rashford with very little opportunity to actually play any football. He would likely only feature for the six to eight weeks Neymar spends injured every season.
With the United academy graduate still just 25, it is unlikely that such a role would be beneficial for his own development, or the footballing profile that he aspires to.
The chances of Messi, Neymar, or Mbappe moving on from Paris in the summer are slim, with all of them tied to obscenely well-paying contracts.
Neymar and Mbappe are contracted until 2025, and while Messi’s deal technically does expire in June, it is expected that PSG will trigger his 12-month extension clause to retain the World Cup star for another season.
So if Rashford does fancy himself as the heir to Lionel Messi, he will have to wait until the summer of 2024 before that becomes a possibility.
