It has been another frantic week for Tottenham Hotspur, with the summer window lurching between breakthroughs and setbacks almost by the day.
Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke have come through the door to reshape the defence, while the £50m sale of Luka Vuskovic to Brighton showed the club are willing to do business when the price is right.
At the same time, captain Cristian Romero continues to be courted by Barcelona and Inter Milan, and Roberto De Zerbi is still pushing hard to strengthen his attacking options before the new season arrives.
It is a window in which little has stood still for long. Deals have been done quickly, sagas have dragged, and supporters have barely had time to digest one story before the next arrives.
Amid all this, there is some encouraging news for Spurs regarding a forward they have been strongly linked with in recent days. It concerns a fresh development at Manchester United.
Fabrizio Romano confirms Fenerbahce ruled out for Manchester United forward
According to Fabrizio Romano, Marcus Rashford has zero plans to move to Turkey this summer, with the Italian reporting “zero talks with Fenerbahçe” despite a wave of speculation linking the forward with a move to Istanbul.
Romano adds that Rashford is returning for pre-season at Manchester United, with Carrick keen to work with him at Old Trafford.
Crucially for interested clubs, though, the door has not been slammed shut. Romano notes that the England international could still leave United this summer, but only if a bid arrives from a top club.
That wording matters in north London. Reports earlier this week suggested Tottenham Hotspur were leading the race for the 28-year-old, and a move to Fenerbahce would have ended that chase before it properly began.
Instead, the situation remains open. Rashford is staying put for now, United are reportedly only interested in serious offers, and the clubs credited with genuine interest know exactly where they stand.
Of course, a player reporting for pre-season is not the same as a player being taken off the market. Romano’s update reads less like a door closing and more like United setting out the terms on which it might open.
What Rashford’s stance means for Tottenham
Rashford’s last 12 months have been eventful, to say the least. The Manchester United academy graduate spent last season on loan at Barcelona, who reportedly opted against triggering a buy option worth around £26m at the end of that spell.
Back at Old Trafford, his long-term future remains one of the more intriguing questions of the window. He is a proven Premier League forward and an England international, and players of that profile rarely stay on the market for long once clarity arrives.
He also offers the kind of versatility De Zerbi tends to value, having spent his career operating across the front line rather than being tied to one role. For a squad still being rebalanced in attack, that flexibility is no small thing.
For Spurs, the takeaway is fairly simple. The Turkish option is off the table, and United’s position, as Romano describes it, effectively invites the sort of club Tottenham consider themselves to be to make their move.
Admittedly, nothing in Romano’s update suggests a deal is close, and Spurs would still need to agree terms with United and convince the player himself. This remains a race rather than a run-in.
To be fair, De Zerbi’s recruitment team have shown no shortage of ambition this summer, with the club also continuing their push for Manchester City winger Savinho as the attacking rebuild gathers pace.
If Tottenham genuinely are at the front of the queue for Rashford, Thursday’s development will only encourage them. The next move, it seems, is theirs to make.
