If Manchester United thought that it would be easy to get Marcus Rashford off the books in January - or indeed in the summer - then they may well view things differently now. It has been three weeks since his admission that a change of scenery is needed, and very little has happened.

Offers from Saudi Arabia have come in but were swiftly rejected. There is no interest from the 27-year-old to join others in the Middle East on an early retirement with a big payday.

Outside of that, it is reports and suggestions from potential suitors. There is fluff, chances, possibilities, maybes, coulds. It is typical transfer window language but there are merely scraps to feed off right now in terms of genuine exit news.

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Attempts to link him with Arsenal fell flat quickly. There should be little surprise that Mikel Arteta and his side have little interest in offering top dollar for someone over 18 months removed from being on top form.

Ange Postecoglou laughed off Tottenham as a destination before it had even been properly put to him. Juventus, deemed one of the Old Money European options that could take him, have openly commented about Joshua Zirkzee before turning to Rashford.

There is only so far a name will take you now, and the financial disparity across the continent has made Rashford an unattractive asset to not only have while he struggles on the field but a monetary black hole for onlookers as well. His enormous wages need to be paid somehow.

Even a 50% cut, which there is no reason to believe he is ready to accept yet, would have him as a top earner at most clubs. The justification for even the risk-taking chiefs out there, is that nearly two years ago he scored 30 goals in a season. Before that, he was in and out of form, and that is the recent Rashford story.

There are not only a limited number of clubs who would want or take Rashford in his current guise, but those who can actually afford it are even smaller. That West Ham are reportedly among those keeping an eye on the situation says it all.

Firstly, a team to have just changed manager after a shambolic start to the season see Rashford as being a player they can reasonably get. That shows how far his stock and his star have fallen.

It is not unheard of for players to leave a bigger club after encountering issues (for whatever reason) in favour of a restart elsewhere but this would be a serious surprise. The league table might have the two teams level on points but there are lightyears away in expectations.

If United felt that somebody with top-level prestige would come along and take Rashford from them quickly then they have been mistaken. Nobody inside the top 13 in England has a reasonable interest in him right now, not for his personal price or United's valuation.

And then comes the second problem. If West Ham are the best currently showing their hand for Rashford - and it might be a case that really they are just trying to flex a bit and emit positivity after announcing Graham Potter - then the rest of Europe are unlikely to challenge.

The Premier League's wealth is such that it will be hard, immediately, for the non-elite to even rival West Ham. We have seen Villarreal lose Unai Emery and others find star players joining Bournemouth. Upwardly mobile and ambitious mid-table Premier League clubs have greater financial strength than historic Champions League contenders. This leaves United and Rashford in a tricky hole.

Napoli, Milan, and Juventus are the three main teams to be touted as a genuine option for Rashford. All of them need to pull some levers and wait for other deals to be completed before any real negotiation can follow.

It raises the prospect of Rashford staying put. United know that late-window transfers can happen - just look at Victor Osimhen's move to Galatasaray over the summer. With West Ham, remarkably, being just as viable an option for him after more than a week of January, it is a reality United will have to look towards.