Rashford Involved in Roma–United Transfer Talks

Marcus Rashford has been dragged into the swirl of Roma’s transfer planning, but this is a story that feels like it’s running out of road before it even begins.

According to reports in Italy, the England forward’s name surfaced during discussions between Roma and Manchester United over a possible move for Manu Kone. United are among the clubs tracking the Roma and France midfielder after his standout displays at the 2026 World Cup, where he pushed his reputation up a level and his price tag with it.

Roma, though, are walking a familiar tightrope. The club remain under pressure to balance the books and stay on the right side of FFP. Kone is one of their most valuable assets, and the figures being mentioned – around €60m in transfer fees – would go a long way towards easing those financial concerns.

That price is exactly where the negotiations start to creak.

From Manchester United’s side, there is interest in Kone, but not at any cost. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the United hierarchy are split on whether the midfielder justifies a €60m outlay. Some at the club are unconvinced, and the internal debate has opened the door to a different kind of deal.

United are expected to keep pushing Roma to soften their demands. As part of that effort, Rashford’s name has been floated as a potential makeweight in the talks, an idea that instantly grabs attention but quickly runs into hard reality.

The first obstacle is his salary. Rashford is reported to earn around €10m net per season, with a further €2.5m in bonuses. Those numbers would not just stretch Roma’s wage structure; they would blow it apart. He would become the highest-paid player in Serie A by a clear margin, a status Roma are in no position to underwrite.

So the conversation shifts again. Roma, aware of the financial gulf, are said to be considering only an initial loan for Rashford rather than a permanent transfer. That would inevitably require United to keep paying a substantial portion of his wages to make the move viable.

And that is where the idea starts to look fanciful. For United to subsidise a marquee earner while also sacrificing leverage in talks for Kone would be a significant concession, one that appears highly unlikely under the current conditions.

For now, Rashford sits at the edge of this negotiation – a headline name attached to a deal that, on closer inspection, doesn’t add up for either side. The real battle lies in the numbers around Kone: how far Roma are willing to drop, and how far United are willing to climb.