Marcus Rashford: Fresh Saudi transfer twist for Man United ace

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has been offered the chance to start a new chapter of his career in the Middle East. The English forward’s future remains up in the air, especially after Barcelona passed on the opportunity to sign him for €30 million this summer.

Rashford spent last season on loan at Camp Nou after being deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford. The 28 year old played a key role in the Catalans’ LaLiga and Supercopa de Espana triumphs, finishing the campaign with 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions.

Marcus Rashford Stats: 2025/26 Season

Source: Transfermarkt.

However, the Spanish champions sprung a surprise by moving for Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon, raising further doubts about Rashford’s possible return to Barcelona. United, meanwhile, have already decided that the Englishman will not be reintegrated into the squad and are keen to offload him this summer.

Previous reports have suggested Bayern Munich and Chelsea as the player’s admirers, but it now appears that new suitors have entered the race.

Rashford wanted in Saudi Arabia

Speaking recently, journalist Ben Jacobs said that Al-Qadsiah, Al-Hilal and Diriyah have all reached out to Rashford’s entourage to discuss a possible move to the Middle East. He said: “There is Saudi and Turkish interest, though, in Marcus Rashford. Fenerbahce have looked in the past, I’m not aware of an approach to Manchester United prior to the window opening. But they were keeping an eye on the situation in January.”

“And then, in Saudi Arabia, there’s two or three clubs to keep an eye on. Al-Qadsiah have looked before and they are a very interesting Saudi team, because they are not relying only on ministry funding.”

“So they are one to watch because they are looking for another attacker. You also have the possibility of Al-Hilal strengthening in wide areas. At this stage Al-Hilal are clarifying their sporting team under a new private owner.”

Jacobs went on to state that newly-promoted Diriyah, one of the richest clubs in the country, are also one to watch out for as they could overhaul their entire team. He continued: “They (Diriyah) are one of the ones that quite like Rashford.”

An excellent World Cup could change everything

Jacobs, however, stressed that there has been no indication from the player that he would be open to a move to Saudi Arabia. He continued: “So, there’s three Saudi clubs minimum that I’m aware of that have made some form of formative approach to Marcus Rashford.”

“I have no indication yet if he would be remotely open to going to Saudi Arabia, but there is some interest outside of Europe.”

The journalist also pointed out that a good performance at the World Cup could prompt Rashford to push for a return to Camp Nou. He said: “But naturally if Rashford has an excellent World Cup, you’d think that he would be turning around first and foremost to Barcelona and once again reiterating that his number one preference would be to join Barcelona permanently.”

Final Thoughts

Resolving Rashford’s future could prove to be one of INEOS’ biggest challenges this summer, especially as there have also been calls to reintegrate him into the team. With United also on the hunt for a new left-forward, a stay at Old Trafford cannot be completely ruled out either.

Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images

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