Erik ten Hag appears ready to ignore a recently imposed wage cap in order to keep Marcus Rashford at Manchester United for the long term.
The attacker has been a key player for the Red Devils this season, scoring 24 goals in all competitions. It has been one of his best campaigns since his breakthrough into the senior team, but a problem is rapidly approaching for United.
His contract at Old Trafford will expire in 18 months' time, with no sign yet that he will put pen to paper on a new deal. Rashford provided another glimpse of his importance to United with a man-of-the-match performance in the win over Leicester, in which he scored twice.
With that well in mind, Ten Hag is preparing to rip up a wage cap in order to convince his star attacker to stay. According to the Daily Star, United have offered Rashford a contract worth £300,000 per week.
If that is not enough to tempt him, then it is said that United will slap a £120million price tag on his head. Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona are all monitoring his situation, but they will have to break the bank to sign him this summer.
His recent form, coupled with Chelsea's record spending in the January window, has seen the attacker's price tag soar. But the offer on the table for Rashford would appear to break a wage cap that was imposed in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo's departure.
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Back in January, the Daily Mail claimed a so-called 'Ronaldo rule' had been put in place which would cap salaries at £200,000 per week. It marked a major change from United's management team to avoid any jealousy festering in the dressing room.
The likes of Raphael Varane, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes are all thought to earn in the region of the same amount. That is a huge difference from the £500,000 contract that was offered and signed by Ronaldo in the summer of 2021.
While club chiefs were said to be 'reluctant' to break their new wage structure, that stance appears to have softened. With Rashford yet to sign his new deal and PSG ready to hand him a mega-money contract, United are set to pull out all the stops to tie him down.
Following Rashford's man-of-the-match performance against the Foxes, Ten Hag was not afraid to dish out the plaudits. But he also highlighted the work of the rest of the squad in helping United to succeed.
“Yeah, he’s getting in the right positions, but don’t forget the team. Because [they] are team goals. So I want to highlight Bruno, again with two great assists, one for Rashy, one for Jadon Sancho," he said.
"He [Rashford] has to receive the balls, otherwise he can’t score. Also, the one [assist] from Fred was beautiful as well. There are so many players who can pass the ball in the right moment when he is in a position.
"Like Bruno, like Jadon, like Fred, like Christian Eriksen, who is unluckily not available. Sabitzer can do it as well, so we have the players, we can play good football, but we have to follow the rules.”
