Marcus Rashford is in with a chance of securing a summer transfer to Barcelona from Manchester United, following a meeting between his agent and the Spanish club, according to multiple reports.
Rashford has reached the end of a season in which he fell out of favor with Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim, finishing the year on loan with Aston Villa.
The England international doesn’t appear to have a future back at Old Trafford, where Amorim had consistently criticized the player’s work rate and application in training prior to his January exit.
Rashford was of interest to Barcelona at the time that he joined Villa, and that interest is believed to still exist now. In Spain, SPORT writes that Rashford’s older brother, who represents him, met with Barça sporting director Deco on Wednesday morning. Both parties exchanged views on the situation and learned of each other’s “receptiveness” to a possible deal.
From Barcelona’s perspective, Rashford is a more affordable and realistic option than trying to lure Luis Díaz from Liverpool. The suggestion is that United, looking to raise revenue to add to their own transfer budget his summer, would accept the equivalent of €40 million ($45.2 million).
United would rather a cash sale, but Barcelona, whose finances are still not particularly healthy, are reported to prefer an initial loan with option to buy. It could work in Barça’s favor if Rashford, whose ideal move is thought to be to Camp Nou, rejects all other approaches and leaves the English team increasingly desperate to finalize a transfer out of the club.
That is why it is dubbed an “exercise in patience” for Barcelona. As Fabrizio Romano has reported, Rashford is among a four-strong shortlist created by the club. Díaz is a public target, while there has also been talk about AC Milan’s Rafael Leão and Atlético Madrid’s Julián Alvarez.
At his best, Rashford has proven himself to be a forward capable of scoring 30 goals in a season. But his relationship with Manchester United turned sour following sustained poor form over 18 months. In 17 appearances for Aston Villa since January, he managed four goals and six assists.
READ THE LATEST TRANSFER NEWS AND RUMORS FROM WORLD SOCCER
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Put Marcus Rashford on ‘Four Player Shortlist’.
