De Zerbi is pushing Tottenham's hierarchy to pursue Marcus Rashford this summer, making the Manchester United forward a target as the Spurs manager looks to overhaul a squad that narrowly avoided relegation last season.
Tottenham have been active in this window, signing Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers and paying £52 million for Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke. They have also seen a bid for Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali rejected. Adding Rashford would represent a major statement of ambition.
According to The i Paper, De Zerbi is a significant admirer and would push the club to agree some form of deal, even without triggering Rashford's £40 million release clause — which is not available to Manchester City or Liverpool. Tottenham would instead seek a lower negotiated fee.
The complication is Rashford's own preference. The 28-year-old spent last season on loan at Barcelona, scoring eight goals in thirty-two LaLiga appearances with a further six in cup competitions. He would prefer a return to the Nou Camp, but that route is blocked. Barcelona's £26 million buy option has already expired and the Catalan club instead moved to sign Rashford's England teammate Anthony Gordon in a marquee deal.
Bayern Munich have also made enquiries, but a Premier League return remains a realistic possibility given Manchester United's strong desire to move him on and ease the burden of his wages.
Rashford is currently with England at the World Cup and scored after coming off the bench in the group-stage win over Croatia.