AC Milan have taken a significant step towards beating rival suitors to the loan signing of Marcus Rashford this month.

Rashford wants out of Old Trafford having announced his desire for a “new challenge” last month, but options are thin on the ground thanks to his £300,000 per week wages and his lack of interest in a move to Saudi Arabia or Turkey.

Talks have reportedly been held with Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, while negotiations with Milan are supposedly more advanced.

A report on Thursday revealed that West Ham have also been asked to be ‘kept informed of Rashford’s situation’ after Graham Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui as manager ‘but know he is more likely to join a top European side’.

A sticking point for Milan could be their unwillingness to stump up more than half of Rashford’s £300,000-a-week wages, though that will be a problem no matter which club approaches United this month, with the Red Devils likely having to accept they will need to subsidise the move.

Anyway, reports in Italy claim Milan have pushed for the exit of Noah Okafor – who’s heading to RB Leipzig on loan – ‘to allow them to go all in for Rashford’.

On Okafor’s loan, Fabrizio Romano wrote on X:  ‘EXCL: RB Leipzig and AC Milan have agreed on loan deal for Noah Okafor plus buy option clause worth over €25m.

‘Loan with salary covered by Leipzig, buy option clause not mandatory — around €25/28m based on several factors. Travel and medical scheduled tomorrow.’

In allowing the left winger to leave they’re opening up a spot in the squad for the Rashford, who – according to Sky Sports – has been told by the Milan bosses that ‘you’re going to be the main man and we’ll build the team around you’.

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Former Roma star Antonio Cassano says he “goes crazy for” Rashford, who would be a “fantastic” signing for any Serie A club.

“We are talking about a fantastic player; I go crazy for him,” he said, as per TuttoMercatoWeb.

“One and a half years ago, not three or five, he had finished the season with 28 goals playing as an attacking winger.

“But something has broken at Manchester United, first with Ten Hag and especially with Amorim.

“The problem is that he earns €12m per season. Who can afford him in Italy? Nobody can.

“He would be fantastic for Milan and Juventus, but I don’t think he can join our league.”

AS Monaco are reportedly ready to ‘offer an escape route’ for ostracised Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, who has been linked with Barcelona.

The French side have emerged as a surprise option for Rashford, who is available this month.

A loan departure is the most likely outcome given his £325,000-a-week salary and reported £50million asking price.

Napoli, AC Milan, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona are among the clubs interested in signing the 27-year-old, while Arsenal have also been linked having made a ‘phone call’. He has also rejected advances from Saudi Arabia.

Reports in Spain claimed on Friday that Rashford’s representatives had an ‘informal meeting’ with Barcelona director Deco, with the Catalan giants now a ‘serious option’ this month.

The England winger quickly fell out of favour under new Man United head coach Ruben Amorim and has not played since the Europa League win at Viktoria Plzen on December 12, three days before he and Alejandro Garnacho were omitted from the squad to face Manchester City in the Premier League.

His wages are a big stumbling block for interested clubs, however, The Telegraph report that Monaco have offered him ‘an escape route’.

The report from Mike McGrath says the Ligue Un club have added Rashford to their ‘shortlist’ and can offer a ‘realistic package’ to sign him from Man United.

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Monaco are currently third in the French top flight and in the Champions League play-off places and believe the signing of Rashford ‘can help them challenge for silverware this season’.

Adi Hutter’s side are close to signing ex-Arsenal striker Mika Biereth from Sturm Graz and are also in the market for a wide forward, with Rashford’s availability appealing to them.

It is noted that Rashford’s brother, Dwaine Maynard, has been in Italy this week to have ‘exploratory talks’ with Juventus and Milan but the winger’s wages are a ‘potential stumbling block’ and there is ‘uncertainty over how much of Rashford’s wages Milan could cover’.

Meanwhile, Juventus are ‘more interested’ in Red Devils team-mate Joshua Zirkzee, who thrived under head coach Thiago Motta at Bologna last season.

The report adds that United could sanction a ‘reluctant’ Kobbie Mainoo sale amid ‘the financial pressures facing the club’.

Mainoo and United have hit a wall in contract negotiations so the club are deciding to ‘keep an open mind over sales’, including their academy graduate.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup tie at Arsenal, Amorim told a press conference: “Our idea is always to keep the best players and the players that we build for this club but we know the position the club is in at the moment.

“We will see. But I’m very happy. I really like the players, especially the guys from the academy.

“My players are always my favourites. I really love my players, I want to keep my players, especially the talented ones.

“It’s a special moment in this club, it’s a hard moment, I am really happy with Kobbie, he is improving and also with Garna [Alejandro Garnacho].”

Manchester United have been handed a huge boost in their bid to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting as a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ has been reached over his transfer.

Gyokeres has been on fire ever since joining the Portuguese side from Coventry in the summer of 2023, scoring an incredible 74 goals in 79 appearances to help Sporting to the league title last season and to the top of the table this term.

Most of those goals came under Ruben Amorim before he moved to Manchester United in November, and reports suggest the new Red Devils head coach is very keen on bringing Gyokeres to Old Trafford as soon as possible.

The transfer may have to wait until the summer (much to Amorim’s disappointment) as United are currently operating a buy-to-sell policy, and although Marcus Rashford looks set to leave the club that will only be on loan, and they aren’t blessed with a too many transferable assets besides; Kobbie Mainoo’s ‘untouchable’ status being rescinded testament to that.

Sporting are also unlikely to allow Gyokeres to leave in the middle of the season, particularly after Amorim gave them his word that he wouldn’t be poaching players for United in January.

But if and when the two sides are negotiating the deal, the Red Devils won’t have to stump up quite so much money for Gyokeres according to Portuguese outlet Record.

It’s claimed ‘Sporting have a gentleman’s agreement to allow the striker to leave the club for as little as between £58.6m and £62.8m’.

A similar agreement has bene hinted at in the past, but it wasn’t clear how far under this £83m release clause he would be allowed to move for.

United will face competition for Gyokeres though, with reports of a Bayern ‘hijack’ on the cards, while Barcelona are also said to be keeping tabs on the 26-year-old.

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Should he move to Old Trafford he would be competing with Rasmus Hojlund for a place in the first XI and we reckon we know which player former United defender Paul Parker thinks would win that battle.

Hojlund has scored just 23 goals in 66 appearances for United since his £64m move from Atalanta, and Parker is in no doubt as to whether criticism of his performances has been justified.

He told bettingexpert.com: “I definitely think it’s justified 100% (criticism from the media). He hasn’t been good enough, and he’s not the kind of player United need. He constantly falls over, and that’s something people are talking about.”

“The fans have been patient with him, but the media isn’t. I can’t see him improving enough, and it doesn’t look like he’s listening to Amorim.”

“He can only make one run, and it’s always the same. He doesn’t finish properly. We saw again against Alisson, he didn’t even challenge him. It was very poor.”

“I liked him when he arrived, but for me, it’s gone in the wrong direction. Completely. Now, I really doubt he will ever be the striker we need and can rely on.

“Højlund lacks that presence, which someone like Nunez has. But Nunez, for all the right reasons, is dangerous. He can cost you games with his mistakes, but for some reason, the media never mentions it.”