Marcus Rashford to Arsenal Transfer: Mikel Arteta Faces £65m Decision

Former Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has advised Manchester United to retain Marcus Rashford this summer, amid speculation linking the 26-year-old to a move away from Old Trafford.

The Gunners have shown interest in Rashford following a challenging 2023/24 campaign for the England international.

Rashford’s recent season saw a dip in performance, with only eight goals and five assists in 38 appearances, a significant drop from his 40 goal contributions the previous season.

This has sparked rumors of a potential exit, with Paris Saint-Germain eyeing him as a possible replacement for Kylian Mbappe. Arsenal has also been mentioned as a potential destination.

However, Silvestre believes United should keep Rashford. “Letting Rashford go would not be the right decision because you need to go in the market and find someone better than Marcus, if that’s the case,” he told bettingexpert.com. “If you find that player, he will be very expensive. Marcus is a senior, experienced Mancunian from the academy. I think he wants to stay. The manager likes him. I just hope Marcus bounces back this season.”

While Silvestre’s message is clear, and Rashford is likely to stay at his boyhood club, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta might still consider making a move. Last year, Arteta pursued Kai Havertz despite the player’s tough season with Chelsea.

Arsenal signed Havertz for £65 million, a move initially mocked, but Havertz went on to become a crucial part of Arteta’s team with 21 goal contributions.

Given this precedent, it wouldn’t be surprising if Arsenal inquired about Rashford. However, acquiring him will likely require a substantial fee. With the summer transfer window open for another 50 days, Arteta remains focused on improving his squad.

“I think both ways [players coming in and going out of the club],” Arteta told ESPN. “There are things that we have to improve, that’s for sure and we are going to try to. But the market is tricky.

We have been very aggressive, we are very determined and we have a clear idea obviously of what we want to do. It will come down to finding the right agreements at the right time.”