Former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam has floated the idea of sending Marcus Rashford to AC Milan rather than Barcelona. The Dutchman believes a swap involving Rashford and Rafael Leao could suit all parties and allow United a new weapon in attack.
Leao, 26, has been linked with a summer move away from AC Milan after seven years at the San Siro. The Portugal international has a £131m release clause in his contract but is likely to be available for considerably less if any club wants to push for a straight transfer.
Barcelona have an option to sign Rashford for around £26m after a fruitful loan but have yet to pull the trigger on a deal. While the England international could yet return to Old Trafford, Stam has made the case for a swap deal which would see him head to Italy.
“Maybe a swap between Rafael Leao and Marcus Rashford could work,” Stam told ComeOn. “Leao is also a good player. He has shown his potential at Milan, of course, in what he can do. I think he is a player that should be on the list of targets for Man Utd.
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“Having said that, you need to have a look not only at the skill of a player, but also at the mentality of players. You need to consider the situation where the club is, what player they are bringing in that is going to help the club going forward, so that you don’t get any irritations from players who are not being picked to start.
“We’ve seen that that can create a kind of a stir within the dressing room. So you need to have a look at the personality of players, at the whole picture, and what’s the best player to bring into the club.
“It feels very exciting to bring in these types of players, but you don’t need to look at what’s the best for right now, you need to look at long-term projects and what’s very important for the club.”
View 2 ImagesRafael Leao could leave AC Milan after seven years(Image: Tiziano Ballabio/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Leao has scored nine Serie A goals this season, with Milan using him all across the front line. He started in a front two alongside Santi Gimenez on Sunday but drew a blank as the Rossoneri lost 3-2 at home to Atalanta.
With two games of the season remaining, Max Allegri’s team are in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification. They currently sit fourth – ahead of fifth-place Roma on their head-to-head record and two points clear of Como in sixth – but have won just one of their last six league games.
Rashford enjoyed a far more fruitful weekend. He opened the scoring as Barcelona beat Real Madrid to clinch the title in La Liga – his eighth league goal of the season and 14th in all competitions.
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