Barcelona sporting director Deco says there is no penalty clause if the club do not sign Marcus Rashford permanently from Manchester United next summer.
When Rashford joined Barcelona, who have an option to buy the winger worth around €30 million (£26.2 million, $35.2 million), reports suggested the agreement was similar to that reached with Chelsea over Jadon Sancho last season. The Blues declined their obligation to sign Sancho permanently this summer and paid a £5 million penalty to do so.
Fabrizio Romano was among those to report that Barcelona had agreed to a penalty clause of their own which would be lower than the £5 million received from Chelsea, but Deco has disputed the claims.
“He’s on a simple loan, there’s no penalty, and if we want him, we have an option to buy,” Deco told Mundo Deportivo.
There have even been recent reports that Barcelona have already decided to pursue Rashford’s permanent signing and could even bring such a move forward to the January transfer window but, once again, Deco insisted otherwise.
Deco Denies Barcelona Have Made Rashford Decision
“It’s too early to talk about decisions for next season, but what matters is that we’re happy with him,” he explained. “What we thought he could bring to us, he’s bringing. He’s a very high-level player.
“He exploded very early, then he had great seasons at United, then he had years of more complicated management with changes of coaches, and perhaps he struggled too because they demanded a lot of things from him there. But we’re happy with him; that’s the most important thing.
“These aren’t decisions for now; now it’s time to focus on the games to come. A decision will be made, but that’s not being discussed right now.”
After a slow start to his time in Catalonia, Rashford has firmly established himself as a regular under manager Hansi Flick. He has two goals to his name, netting twice in a Champions League victory over Newcastle United, while he has assisted a goal in each of his last four La Liga outings.
An issue with timekeeping saw Rashford dropped from Flick’s starting lineup earlier in September, but the pair have quickly moved on and Rashford was immediately restored to the team.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Director Reveals Truth Behind Marcus Rashford Buy Clause.
