Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has taken to Instagram to slam "false stories" about his future as speculation over a possible exit from Old Trafford heats up.
The England international has already paved the way for his own departure from the Theatre of Dreams, recently telling journalist Henry Winter that he was ready to embark on a new challenge.
Rashford was briefly exiled from the first-team squad by new boss Ruben Amorim, but he was back on the bench for Monday's 2-0 home loss to Newcastle United, although he did not make it onto the pitch.
A recent report from The Sun claimed that the 27-year-old has been in talks to switch to a new agency Stellar, the organisation that brokered Gareth Bale's move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid in 2013.
However, sharing an image of the article on an Instagram story, Rashford denied ever meeting with the agency, while also hitting out at other unspecified "false" reports to have been published lately.
Rashford takes aim at "ridiculous" stories
"Been a lot of false stories written over the past few weeks, but guys this is getting ridiculous - never met with any agency and don't have any plans too..." the attacker wrote on social media.
Rashford, who is represented by his family rather than an established agency, still has three-and-a-half years left to run on his Man United contract, which he extended until 2028 in the summer of 2023.
However, the England international has failed to replicate the scintillating 2022-23 form that earned him his new deal, only managing seven goals in 24 appearances this season, in addition to three assists.
Rashford has not played for the Red Devils since their 2-1 Europa League win over Viktoria Plzen on December 12, being omitted from matchday squads against Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bournemouth and Manchester City before being reinstated on Monday.
The Man United academy graduate is said to be earning a staggering £300,000 a week at Old Trafford, the same amount as Bruno Fernandes and only below Casemiro's £350,000.
Where could Rashford go in January?
While Rashford has moved quickly to shoot down rumours of an agency switch in addition to slamming other "false" stories, his desire to leave Man United is already out in the open.
As there does not appear to be a future for him at the club under Amorim either, Man United are expected to entertain either permanent or loan offers this month, and an asking price of £40m has allegedly been set.
However, Man United are supposedly not prepared to let Rashford join another Premier League club for the second half of the season, ending Arsenal and Chelsea's hopes of a temporary deal.
French champions Paris Saint-Germain have apparently pulled out of the running as well due to Rashford's valuation and extortionate salary, meaning that the Saudi Pro League may be the only viable option.
Whether the 27-year-old is willing to make the move to the Middle East is unclear, though, and there is every chance that he could hold out until the summer and reassess his options for a permanent exit. body check tags ::
