Man Utd to Activate Marcus Rashford Contract Extension to Fend Off Real Madrid & Barcelona

Manchester United look set to trigger a one-year extension in Marcus Rashford's contract to try and fend off immediate interest from both Real Madrid and

Manchester United look set to trigger a one-year extension in Marcus Rashford's contract to try and fend off immediate interest from both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The England international has stalled on extending his contract, which is set to expire in the summer of 2020, prompting rumours that he could be sold to either of the La Liga giants.

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However, according to The Sun, United are not prepared to risk losing Rashford, so they will automatically extend his contract as soon as possible. 

Once that is all sorted out, the plan is to actually agree on a fresh contract for Rashford. Recent reports have suggested that the 21-year-old is nearing a new long-term deal at Old Trafford, but The Sun state that the structure of their five-year proposal is currently proving to be a problem in negotiations.

Nevertheless, United remain confident that they will be able to keep him at the club, and see a new contract as the perfect way to tell Real and Barcelona that he is not for sale.

🏝 pic.twitter.com/g32W6yRz2q

— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) June 23, 2019

A club source is quoted as saying: “We will trigger the option in his deal some time during this summer window. He is not being sold to anyone under any circumstances though despite talks going on for a fair while now.

“We know there’s lots of interest in him, that’s obvious. There’ll also be sizeable offers for him as well. We’re confident he wants to sign but we have to be firm and we expect this all to be sorted in the next few weeks.

“Ole wants him fully focused on his football and wants the speculation to end around him as soon as possible. We know the extra year gives us some breathing space to sort this out and a bit of an insurance policy.”

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Last season, Rashford racked up 13 goals and nine assists in 47 appearances for United, establishing himself as one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's most important players.

He was shifted into a central role at the expense of Romelu Lukaku, and talk of a new contract for Rashford could push the Belgian closer to the exit door at Old Trafford. He is said to have already agreed terms with Inter, and it is now just a question of the two sides agreeing a fee.