Marcus Rashford 'set to become Manchester United's highest earner'

Only one year on from his future being called into question after a four-goal Premier League season, Rashford has reignited his career under Erik ten Hag.

The England international hit 30 goals in all competitions during the 2022-23 season - including 17 in the Premier League - comfortably finishing at the top of the Red Devils' scoring charts.

As well as his individual success, Rashford's contributions helped Man United end their six-year trophy drought in the EFL Cup, as well as qualifying for the 2023-24 Champions League.

Back in December, Man United triggered an extension in Rashford's contract to prevent him leaving for free this summer, and those terms will run until the summer of 2024.

Given his praiseworthy turnaround, Man United are working on a long-term extension with a bumper pay rise, and there is optimism on both sides that an agreement can be struck.

Reports that Rashford was demanding £500,000 a week to sign on have been shot down by the attacker, but according to The Sun, he will still pocket a club-record wage with his new terms.

The 25-year-old apparently earns a weekly wage of £200,000 under his current terms, but his renewal will take him up to £375,000 per week, surpassing David de Gea's £350,000 pay packet.

Rashford is believed to view his future at Old Trafford after rediscovering his goalscoring touch, and Ten Hag has always been confident that he will extend his contract.

The Englishman has been on the books at Man United for 18 years since joining their academy in 2005, and he now boasts 123 goals and 68 assists from 359 games in all tournaments.

While Rashford is poised for a significant pay rise, current top earner De Gea's salary will be going in the opposite direction if he puts pen to paper on a new contract.

The Spaniard only has two weeks left to run on his £350,000-a-week terms, and Man United have no plans to trigger his one-year extension and keep him on the same wage.

Instead, the Red Devils are demanding that the Spaniard agree to lower his salary by as much as £175,000 a week, and the two parties are yet to find common ground in negotiations.

Furthermore, with Ten Hag refusing to guarantee that De Gea will be his number one next term, the former Atletico Madrid man could ultimately decide to leave on a free transfer.

De Gea won the Premier League's Golden Glove with 17 clean sheets in 2022-23, but he was also criticised for several high-profile errors, making four mistakes directly leading to a goal in all competitions last term.