Rashford 'to become Man United's top earner with De Gea set for wage cut'

Marcus Rashford is set to become Manchester United's top earner with a staggering new £375,000-a-week contract, according to reports, although David de Gea is facing a slash to his wages should he stay at Old Trafford this summer.

Rashford is expected to pledge his future to the club and put pen to paper on an extension, with boss Erik ten Hag confident the forward is keen to stay.

However, it is increasingly unlikely that United's No 1 goalkeeper will sign fresh terms of his own despite his current deal running down at the end of the month.

As reported by Mail Sport, Ten Hag is reluctant to keep De Gea as his first-choice between the sticks and would rather sign another stopper to replace him. He was recently left off United's retained list, hinting that an agreement is far from close.

And even if he were to stay, it would be on significantly lower terms.

The Sun claim United will fund Rashford's eye-watering pay hike through an effective salary swap with De Gea, who earns the £375k figure Rashford will soon bank.

At present, Rashford earns a basic £200,000-a-week and has one more year left on his deal after the club opted to trigger a 12-month option to extend.

De Gea has been offered that same amount, meanwhile, a £175,000 reduction.

Insiders are said to have told the publication that the United hierarchy are relaxed about De Gea's next move. Should he agree to the new deal, they argue, he will cover Rashford's pay rise, but if he walks away, the club would save more money.

The looming boost to Rashford's wages would increase his salary by an extra £8.4million per year over five seasons, underlining his importance to Ten Hag.

Sources are thought to insist that the forward sees his future at United despite the lack of concrete updates throughout the negotiating process.

Conversely, De Gea remains in limbo and Mail Sport understands that United are now less optimistic that the 32-year-old will remain than they were earlier in the year.

It is believed that the framework for a new deal was agreed some time ago, but Ten Hag is unconvinced. One stumbling block is the valuation of the likes of Inter Milan's Andre Onana and David Raya of Brentford, both of whom are worth around £40m.

The club face a spending headache this summer and are working on a tighter budget due to Financial Fair Play requirements. They are also prioritising other positions first, with a new striker and midfielder coveted by the manager.

Indeed, United need to sell players to finance signings and would prefer to tie De Gea down to a new deal rather than splash out on a costly replacement.

De Gea, who joined United in 2011, has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.