Liverpool's refusal to entertain offers from Bayern Munich for Rio Ngumoha could open up a new transfer opportunity for Manchester United star Marcus Rashford.
The England international is currently away on duty with his country at the World Cup, with no decision on his future to be made until the tournament concludes. However, with Barcelona not keen on paying the full £26million fee to make Rashford's loan move permanent, the 28-year-old could be heading elsewhere ahead of next season.
And it appears that one option for the England winger could be Bundesliga giants Bayern. That comes after the German side could be forced to cool their interest in Liverpool's Ngumoha.
The Liverpool Echo reported earlier this week that insiders at Liverpool view Ngumoha as "potentially elite" and the club have no plans to allow the teenager to leave. The 17-year-old impressed in his senior international debut against New Zealand, but was not included in the country's World Cup squad after not being named in the provisional list earlier in the year.
The Echo adds there has been no contact between Liverpool and Bayern as of yet, despite rumoured interest from the Germans in Ngumoha. With the Reds' firm stance on the youngster, this could open up an avenue for Rashford.
The Sun reports that the Bundesliga side have no issues matching United's £34.5m valuation of the winger and are ready to sign the England international. The only stumbling block is Rashford's sky-high wages of £325,000-a-week, although it's understood that he was willing to cut his salary to sign with Barca.
A move for Rashford could work for all parties and allow Bayern to bide their time over Ngumoha. Harry Kane is flying high in Germany, scoring a whopping 61 goals this season alone. The former Tottenham striker has collected two league titles and two domestic cups since joining Bayern in 2023 and could be key in helping Rashford settle in the Bundesliga.
The United winger enjoyed a productive spell with Barcelona, scoring 14 goals and assisting 14 times in 49 appearances for the Spanish outfit. He secured the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup while working under Hansi Flick and will ultimately be disappointed in the club's decision not to sign him on a permanent basis.
However, a new start at a European giant could be yet another boost Rashford would greatly welcome to continue his career trajectory back to the top. Michael Carrick is said to have a good relationship with the winger and claimed in April that no final decision has been made on his future.
Carrick said: "There are decisions to be made in time on certain things. Marcus is in that situation. At this point in time, nothing has been decided. It will be at a certain point because it has to be, but at this stage nothing has been decided."
While remaining at his boyhood club is an option, Rashford's desire to move to Barca may lead him to develop a new passion for the Bundesliga and Bayern's recent dominance in silverware.
