Mohamed Salah and Marcus Rashford's Summer Transfer Decisions
Mohamed Salah’s future, Marcus Rashford’s resolve and a flurry of Premier League manoeuvres set the tone for a restless summer window taking shape across England.
Salah’s next step still open – but not to everyone
Mohamed Salah’s agent, Remy Abbas, has lifted the lid only slightly on the forward’s situation after his Liverpool exit, but the message was pointed.
“We still do not know where Mohamed will play next season but we may know very soon,” he said, before drawing a clear line in the sand over how they operate in the market. “It is not our style to have discussions with clubs that Mohamed wouldn't want to play for, just for the sake of noise.”
No club is named, no destination hinted at. Yet the stance is unmistakable: Salah will not be used as a bargaining chip or a headline generator. Any talks will be targeted, and they will be his talks.
Rashford shuts the door – for now
While Salah scans the horizon, Marcus Rashford has chosen to stand his ground.
The Manchester United forward has turned down several offers to leave Old Trafford this summer, according to The Athletic. Some of those proposals were said to be richer than his current terms, but money has not moved him.
Rashford is under contract until 2028. He has not played for United since 2024, a stark detail that would normally fuel speculation about a fresh start elsewhere. Instead, he has pushed back against the exit routes laid out in front of him.
There was even a bold idea floated from Old Trafford: Mundo Deportivo report that United proposed Barcelona midfielder Marc Bernal as part of a potential swap deal for Rashford. The plan never materialised. Barcelona, widely expected at one stage to be his next permanent home, chose Anthony Gordon instead.
With Rashford’s release clause now expired, any future move would have to be thrashed out club-to-club. For the moment, though, he stays put.
Newcastle eye Rushworth as Coventry wait
At the other end of the pitch, Newcastle United are weighing up a change of their own.
Sussex World report that the Magpies are considering a move for Brighton goalkeeper Carl Rushworth. The 23-year-old enhanced his reputation with a strong loan spell at Coventry City last season and has been linked with a return to the Sky Blues.
Now the equation has shifted. Newcastle are claimed to be ready to step in and try to beat Coventry to his signature, a move that would underline their intent to refresh the goalkeeping department with a younger option.
Liverpool redraw their wide options
Liverpool’s rebuild is not limited to Salah’s replacement. The club are casting the net wide in search of fresh thrust out wide and at full-back.
According to Anfield Watch, Djed Spence has been added to Liverpool’s list of potential summer targets. The full-back, who has caught the eye with England at the World Cup, is being monitored as the club look to bring in another defender before the new Premier League season. Spence has also been linked with Everton, adding a local edge to any pursuit.
On the flanks, Liverpool are rethinking their attacking shortlist. TEAMtalk report that the club are weighing up a move for Bournemouth winger Rayan as an alternative to Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise.
The numbers attached to the other two are staggering. PSG are said to want £128m to part with Barcola. Bayern Munich’s Olise has reportedly asked to leave, but he is valued at around £170m. Those figures drag any negotiation into the realms of the extreme.
Rayan, by contrast, is described as one of several more attainable names on Liverpool’s radar. The search for the next wide threat at Anfield is very much alive, just pointed in a more realistic direction.
Villa close in on Joao Gomes
Aston Villa, already a rising force, are about to add more bite and craft to their midfield.
ESPN report that Joao Gomes is set to undergo a medical at Villa Park after a deal worth around £34m was agreed with Wolves. The Brazilian has already left Wolves’ training camp in Portugal to complete the formalities.
If the final checks go as expected, Villa will have secured a high-energy playmaker in his prime years, stolen from a Premier League rival and dropped straight into a squad gearing up for another demanding campaign.
Ipswich move for Fatawu as Leicester brace for exits
Ipswich Town are refusing to tiptoe into life at the top level.
The Telegraph report that the newly-promoted club have made an approach for Leicester City winger Abdul Fatawu. The Ghanaian, a bright attacking talent, is widely expected to leave the King Power Stadium after Leicester’s relegation to League One.
For Ipswich, it would be a statement that survival is not the only aim. For Leicester, it is another reminder of the cost of their fall, as key assets are lined up by ambitious suitors.
United’s midfield churn continues with Berge talks
Manchester United’s summer is not only about Rashford. The squad around him is being reshaped, and the midfield remains a live issue.
TEAMtalk report that United are internally discussing a move for Fulham midfielder Sander Berge, viewing him as one of their key targets for this window. Should they push ahead, Berge would become their fifth signing of the summer, following Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, Karl Darlow and Cristian Orozco.
It would be another piece in a larger puzzle: a squad being rebuilt on the fly while one of its most high-profile figures, Rashford, chooses to stay and fight.
The window is still young, the rumours still swirling. But already, the decisions being taken — to stay, to go, to hold firm or to cash in — are drawing the first outlines of what next season will look like.
