Ratcliffe leaves Old Trafford after Man Utd takeover talks
Manchester United are hoping to tie Marcus Rashford and David De Gea down to new contracts, according to reports. The pair have supposedly been identified as two of the ‘most pressing cases’, with their long-term futures at the club up in the air. Regardless of any potential takeover from Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, however, the Red Devils want their two veterans to stay.
According to the Manchester Evening News, United remain locked in talks with De Gea and Rashford over new contracts.
De Gea’s current deal is due to expire at the end of the season and, though the club have the option of a one-year extension, they’re wary of doing that at the current moment in time.
Instead, United are hoping to tie the Spain international down on reduced terms - with the 32-year-old currently their highest earner on wages of £375,000-a-week.
The Red Devils have been linked with Diogo Costa and Raya, of Porto and Brentford respectively, amid the uncertainty over De Gea’s future.
But it appears they’d rather their current No 1 stay put and pen a new deal instead.
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United previously struggled to replace Peter Schmeichel after the Denmark international departed in 1999, shortly after winning an unprecedented treble.
And, perhaps wary of history repeating itself, they’re doing all they can to ensure De Gea signs on the dotted line.
As for Rashford, United are also progressing in talks with the England international as they look to reward him for his form this season.
Fans weren’t sure what to expect from the 25-year-old at the beginning of the campaign due to his struggles under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick last term.
Yet Rashford has been resurgent ever since, with the forward bagging 27 goals across all competitions.
Man Utd want David De Gea to stay amid Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe interest (Image: GETTY)
Meanwhile, the Glazers staying on is still a possibility.
The Americans signalled in November they were open to selling up but, if their asking price isn’t met, there’s a chance they’ll refuse to cut ties.
And Simon Jordan, speaking last month, thinks the Glazers will be open to redeveloping Old Trafford should they stay - despite the big costs that would involve.
He said: “The Glazers will sell to whoever will write the biggest cheque, and if the biggest cheque isn't available, they'll continue with what they've got.
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Man Utd are hoping to negotiate a new deal for Marcus Rashford (Image: GETTY)
"And this idea - I was reading Henry Winter’s column today about how they won't build a stadium for a billion quid or they won't do this - it's nonsense.
“They'll do all of that because they'll just borrow money to do it.
“And they'll fund it against the development opportunities that the stadium will bring.
"So it's silly arguments that get advanced in some of the sections of the newspapers."