Paris Saint-Germain is unlikely to sign Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford unless the futures of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are in doubt.
That’s according to trusted reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, who told SoccerNews the England striker was unlikely to make the switch.
“If he wants to be the PSG man, then no,” he said. After all, they also have Neymar, Mbappé and Messi hanging around and if they all stay in Paris, he can never become a regular staple player.
“So it depends on the future of Mbappé, Messi and Neymar. If they stay at PSG, obviously this is not the time for Rashford to move to Paris.
“That right moment will come when Messi leaves, or when Neymar ends, or Mbappé. He has to think carefully if PSG is the best solution for him, but that mainly depends on the output of one of those three magicians.”
As Di Marzio says, it’s highly unlikely that Rashford will displace any member of that trio any time soon.
The profile of PSG’s attacking trident is such that each one claims a starting position every time they become available for selection and are almost never substituted.
That would leave Rashford with very few opportunities to play soccer. It is likely that he will only appear during the six to eight weeks that Neymar is injured each season.
With the United academy graduate just 25 years old, such a role is unlikely to be beneficial to his own development or the footballing profile he aspires to.
The chances of Messi, Neymar or Mbappé leaving Paris in the summer are slim, and all of them are tied to obscenely well-paying contracts.
Neymar and Mbappé are on contract until 2025, and while Messi’s deal technically expires in June, PSG are expected to activate their 12-month extension clause to retain the World Cup star for another season.
So if Rashford envisions himself as Lionel Messi’s heir, he will have to wait until the summer of 2024 before that becomes a possibility.
