Is Marcus Rashford heading to Barcelona? Man United star's representatives 'held talks' with Catalan club
Ever since Marcus Rashford expressed his desire to look on for new opportunities else where, several clubs including Barcelona have showed their interest to sign Manchester United star on loan which make it to the permanent deal at the end of the ongoing season.
FollowThe speculation around Manchester United star Marcus Rashford’s future remains uncertain ever since he had announced that he is ‘looking for a new challenge’ in December last year. This hinted at his potential departure from the club, which was approved by the Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim. Rashford’s departure from Old Trafford would mean that he will be ending his 20-year association with Manchester United.
Ever since Marcus Rashford expressed his desire to look on for new opportunities else where, several clubs including West Ham United, AS Monaco, Saudi Pro League, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Barcelona, Juventus, and Napoli have expressed their interest to sign the England international on loan which make it to the permanent deal at the end of the ongoing season. Speculations are increasing day by day, but Marcus Rashford has not yet officially announced anything about his future.
As per the latest report, representatives of Marcus Rashford flew to Lisbon and had held talks with Barcelona, in the presence of the club’s sporting director Decco. The report suggested by Sky Sports said that England international’s preferred destination is Barcelona. However, the Blaugrana needed to have sufficient funds in order to secure the signature of Rashford, even on loan. The potential departures of Ansu Fati and Eric Garcia would help the debt-ridden club to create some salary space. The financial constraints related to salary space is stopping the Catalan club making any move to sign Rashford.
Decco stated that Barcelona are prioritizing the renewal of contracts of existing players. The signing of new players will happen once the existing players’ contracts are renewed.
"The priority is the renewals of the important players in the squad, and then we could focus on one or two reinforcements, but it is not something that the coach has asked of us either.” Decco said.
"We're fully focused on new contracts now... then, if we can bring in other reinforcements, that would always be welcome.
"The coach [Hans-Dieter Flick] is happy with the squad we have, so any future decisions will be made later," he added.
Borussia Dortmund has also shown interest in acquiring Rashford on loan, but financial considerations, particularly regarding wage contributions, make a deal complex. Meanwhile, AC Milan backed out from the race to sign England international as they are currently prioritizing to sign Kyle Walker on loan.
Marcus Rashford is one of the demanded players in this transfer window. The 27-year-old has been associated with Manchester United since 2005. He began his youth career with the Red Devils and went on to become a professional player after signing a long-term contract with the club.
At Manchester United, Marcus Rashford has made 60 appearances and scored 17 goals. He also won many international titles, including two FA Cups, two EFL titles and a Community Shield. It remains to be seen where the England striker will head to after leaving his boyhood club.
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