Man Utd transfer news: Marcus Rashford transfer statement issued as £35m deal moves closer

Marcus Rashford remains the most high-profile name linked with a transfer before Monday’s deadline with the Manchester United forward revealing he will look for a new challenge

Marcus Rashford continues to dominate the headlines but it remains unclear whether a potential buyer or loan club can be found before next Monday night’s deadline.

The out of favour forward has been linked with a move for much of the month, but on Tuesday, another potential suitor dropped out of the race to sign him.

Elsewhere United are pushing for a deal to sign young defender Patrick Dorgu from Lecce, with the Serie A club holding out for a fee of about £35m to sanction the move this week.

Here are the big stories from in and around Old Trafford as crunch time for the recruitment chiefs arrives.

Rashford hire

Fenerbahce will NOT be signing Rashford before the end of the window, their vice president has confirmed.

The Turkish giants – managed by ex-United boss Jose Mourinho – claim they have been offered the chance to sign the forward, but are not pursuing a deal this month.

“Actually, yesterday it was in the news that we are interested in him,” Acun Ilicali told Sky Sports.

“I think Rashford is a fantastic player, I really like him. But at the end of the day, when you have some players in your team [who play in the same role] it is not logical to get two players in the same position which are much better than other players.

“What I will say is that these types of players need to play, play, play. If he comes, then one of our players wouldn’t be able to play. When it came in front of us, unfortunately we said no for this transfer.

“There is nothing that we are interested in him. Of course, there are some rumours that spread. I can say very comfortably that we are not interested, but he is a good player.”

Dorgu deal

Manchester United continue to hold talks with Lecce as they close on a £30million deal for Patrick Dorgu.

The Red Devils will continue to engage in discussions with the Italian side this week as they look to make their first major addition of the January transfer window. Lecce president Saverio Sticchi Damiani had made it clear that the club didn’t want to sell, but Dorgu is eager for the clubs to reach an agreement.

United are in need of new recruits and with Ruben Amorim playing a 3-4-3 system the wing-back position has become vital and the team currently lack players who can naturally play in that role.

Dorgu can help fill the void with the giants edging closer to Lecce’s asking price.

Rivals’ state of play

There are only five more sleeps until deadline day and while Manchester City have led the spending charge so far, a host of clubs are looking to boost their squad for the final third of the campaign.

Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho appear the biggest names who could make a switch between now and Monday night but what do the other 19 clubs require and can they get their deals over the line in time?

Our writers have explained what might and might not happen.

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