Real Madrid Reportedly Eye Marcus Rashford as 'Plan B' if Rumoured Harry Kane Approach Fails

Real Madrid have reportedly identified Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford as 'Plan B' if they fail in their primary objective of landing Tottenham and fellow England star Harry Kane this summer.

Speculation regarding a possible approach for Kane has exploded over the course of the last week, perhaps not entirely a coincidence given the timing of back-to-back Champions League games between Spurs and Los Blancos.

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Earlier this week, rumour had it that Real would be willing to offer around £150m for Kane, a Premier League Golden Boot winner in each of the last two seasons. But it was also claimed that Spurs value their home-grown hero higher than Neymar and so £200m is the minimum price.

In the likely event that they fail in their attempts to prise Kane away from the north London club, Don Balon is claiming that Rashford has emerged on the Bernabeu club's radar.

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The report suggests that Cristiano Ronaldo in particular is a big fan of the English teenager and has been closely following the player's progress at his former club. Ronaldo would therefore approve if president Florentino Perez attempts to realise this apparent early interest.

As an emerging talent, Rashford fits the change in Real's transfer policy which has noticeably shifted away from landing Galacticos in recent seasons to focus on developing players from a younger age - Marco Asensio, Theo Hernandez and Jesus Vallejo are notable examples.

It is said that Rashford would not be a regular starter at Real right away, instead used as gradual relief for 29-year-old Karim Benzema over a period of time that, as Don Balon puts it, will ensure that 'everyone wins.'

It must, however, be pointed out that any chance of Rashford moving to Spain will hinge on the willingness of both he and United to let it happen, which certainly seems unlikely.