They opted to buy Anthony Gordon from Newcastle for £69million instead, with Rashford now considering his options after England’s World Cup campaign. He has received a potential option from Fenerbahce, who have already bolstered their squad this summer with the addition of former United forward Greenwood.
There has been speculation that Rashford could be welcomed back into the fold at Old Trafford under Michael Carrick, representing a remarkable U-turn from the club. That prospect has done little to discourage Fenerbahce, however, who have emerged as a determined new admirer of the forward.
The Sun claim that Rashford features prominently on a three-man shortlist for Fenerbahce, who are keen to strengthen their attacking ranks. AC Milan’s Rafael Leao and Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr are also understood to be on the Turkish outfit’s radar.
Crucially, Rashford’s representatives have already been approached to establish whether the player would consider kick-starting his career in Turkey.
The Super Lig club are said to be willing to pull out all the stops to secure his signature, should Rashford’s camp signal that their client is receptive to such a proposition. Rashford enjoyed a fruitful loan stint at Barcelona last season, with their head coach, Hansi Flick, conceding he would miss working with the England forward during an interview last week.
“You never know what happens with players who are on loan. Our situation is not easy in that respect,” Flick said following a pre-season friendly against Preston North End.
“But I appreciated working with him. He is a fantastic player and a fantastic person. The team will miss him, I will miss him, but that’s life.
“This is something we have to accept. In the end, Anthony Gordon came in and from my first conversation with him, it was clear he was excited to join Barca. I’m really happy he’s on our team.”
Intriguingly, Rashford is not the only big-name player being courted by ambitious Turkish clubs this summer, with Mohamed Salah also receiving approaches from some of the country’s heavyweights.
Besiktas appeared to be frontrunners to secure the Liverpool legend on a free transfer, yet talks now appear to have hit a wall, with Trabzonspor entering the race for the prolific Egyptian international.