Manchester United remain hopeful of offloading Marcus Rashford this summer, but have already blocked two clubs from activating his £40 million release clause.

The 28-year-old spent last season on loan with Barcelona, where he helped the Catalan giants win the La Liga title. However, despite impressing in his time with Barca, the club opted not to activate their option to make the deal permanent.

As a result, Rashford, who is currently part of England’s squad at the 2026 World Cup, will be heading back to Old Trafford when the tournament ends.

Manchester United’s Feelings on Marcus Rashford’s Future

Per reports, the player himself is willing to stay and fight for his place at the Theatre of Dreams, with the outlet claiming that he would rather see out the remaining two years of his contract than join another Premier League club.

However, United would seemingly rather move on from Rashford, who is currently believed to be earning more than £325,000 per week, in order to give new permanent boss Michael Carrick the chance to add to his squad ahead of the new season.

With the club back in Champions League action again next term, Carrick is aware of the need to add to his ranks to cope with the increased number of games his team will play.

The Red Devils have already been linked with West Ham duo Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville following the Hammers’ relegation from the Premier League.

A deal for Summerville is thought to be dependent on United’s ability to sell fellow forward Rashford.

The Two Clubs Who Are Banned From Signing Rashford

via Reuters

As keen as the Old Trafford club are to boost their coffers by cashing in on Rashford, though, there are two clubs that won’t be able to sign him, even if they wanted to.

A report from the Athletic has confirmed that there are two clubs who are specifically excluded from activating the buyout clause in the players’ contract, Liverpool and Manchester City.

United included the stipulation in Rashford’s deal in order to avoid potentially bolstering either of their two biggest rivals, with all three expected to be competing with each other on multiple fronts next season.

Rashford should still attract plenty of interest from other clubs, having played 49 times for Barcelona last term, scoring 14 times, while bagging 14 assists. United may have to lower their asking price for the player, though.

Barcelona were reportedly interested in retaining his services, but didn’t want to part with the £26 milllion it would have cost to make the deal permanent. Now less than 18 months away from his 30th birthday, it seems unlikely that United will find a club willing to activate his contractual release clause in full.

One Liverpool star has made a U-turn on his future after the appointment of Andoni Iraola, who replaced Arne Slot as manager.

The future of some of Liverpool’s stars heading into the summer transfer window could change after their recent managerial switch.

Some players may have been looking for exits under Slot, but we’ll be hoping for a fresh start under Iraola.

With a new manager comes new ideas, and that could see some players given a fresh chance and a revival following Iraola’s appointment.

There may have been a number of players who were looking to leave the club in the summer transfer window, but situations will have changed over the last few weeks.

Liverpool Star Performs U-Turn

Hannah Mckay Via Reuters

According to a report from Tutto Juve journalist Mirko Di Natale, Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa’s situation has changed after the departure of Slot.

Chiesa has now changed his mind about leaving the club, and he wants to establish himself under Iraola, determined to turn things around at Anfield.

If Liverpool want to get rid of the Italian international in the summer transfer window, Chiesa will happily move on. For now, he wants to prove himself and get back on track.

Whether Iraola and Liverpool will want to keep him remains to be seen, as it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see them offload him this summer.

Time for Liverpool to Move On

It could be time for Liverpool and Chiesa to shake hands and go their separate ways during the summer transfer window.

The Italian international has struggled to cement himself as a guaranteed starter for the Reds, and that doesn’t feel like changing heading into the 2026/27 season.

Liverpool are likely to be linked with a host of different wingers to improve their squad, meaning Chiesa could fall further down the pecking order.

Although he is undoubtedly a decent squad player, Chiesa needs to move on for the good of his career, as he is going to continue to struggle to play regular minutes at Anfield.

South Korea captain Son Heung-min has been caught in the middle of a 2026 World Cup row after being mocked in the build-up to his country’s opening game vs Czechia.

The former Tottenham Hotspur star captained his nation to a 2-1 victory to put them in a good position to reach the Round of 32. However, the veteran forward then declined to speak to members of the media from his own country.

It’s become a massive talking point in his home country after footage emerged which allegedly leaked ‘derogatory’ comments about the LAFC forward.

Amanda Perobelli via Reuters

The accidentally posted footage shows two reporters allegedly mocking Son’s military exemption during South Korea’s recorded training session before the World Cup. After captaining his country to 2018 Olympic Gold, Son was legally excused from the standard 21-month service.

In response, the 33-year-old opted against speaking to media members from his own country following the victory against Czechia. His teammates have also decided to show solidarity and join him in the media blackout.

A statement has now been made by the Korean Football Association, which has condemned the comments made. They said (per The Telegraph):

“The Korea Football Association expresses regret over the inappropriate remarks made by some media personnel during the national football team’s training at the Guadalajara base camp.

“With a sense of responsibility to represent South Korea on the global stage of the World Cup, the Taegeuk Warriors are doing their best to repay the support and expectations of the people.

“However, the recent leak of inappropriate conversations between some media officials at a training site caused great shock and disappointment to the team.”

Son Receives Apology But Boycott Could Continue

Paul Childs via Reuters

Son has reportedly received a face-to-face apology from members of the South Korean delegation in Mexico. The ex-Premier League attacker is said to have accepted, but it remains to be seen whether his national team end their media boycott.

The previous press delegation leader resigned over the controversy. While Son was asked whether his team would resume media duties, he refrained from giving a definitive answer until an internal decision had been reached.

Further adding to the ill-feeling between both parties, critical comments were made about manager Hong Myung-bo, which have only raised tensions within the South Korea camp.