Barcelona are closing in on a decision in their pursuit of Manchester United star Marcus Rashford.
Rashford has returned to Manchester after an impressive six-month loan spell at Aston Villa, where Unai Emery’s side just missed out on a place in the UEFA Champions League.
Read: Delivered Tottenham’s first trophy in 17 years! – Yet the London club are in talks with a new manager
Emery has not made a final decision on Rashford, but after injury interrupted in the final weeks of his loan spell, it is rumoured that the Premier League club is starting to lose interest.
United did not include a mandatory purchase clause in the loan deal, but Villa have an option to buy the England international for £40 million.
Barcelona catch up with Aston Villa in the battle for Rashford
After Villa’s interest has waned, Barcelona have resumed their own interest in Rashford, with Hansi Flick looking to sign a new striker. However, Barca still need to sell players to afford United’s price demand, as the club is obliged to follow the so-called 1:1 rule before the 2025/26 season.
Read on English clubs: Bruno Fernandes nears transfer from Manchester United for €120 million
Rashford willing to take a pay cut for Barcelona dream
Previous reports from Mundo Deportivo suggest that Rashford is willing to take a significant pay cut in order to realise a move to Barcelona, reducing his £315,000 weekly wage by almost 50%.
United will also contribute a portion of his salary if he agrees to leave the club before his contract expires in 2028.
Rashford is Plan B for Barcelona
Although Barcelona are closely monitoring Rashford’s situation at Old Trafford, he remains a backup plan for the Catalan club, along with Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli and Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman.
According to a new update from MD, Barcelona will only go in for Rashford if they fail to secure first choice Luis Díaz.
Díaz is number one priority – but Liverpool want £70m
Díaz’s contract with Liverpool expires in 2027, and negotiations for an extension will start this month. Barcelona is lurking.
The Colombian international is seen as the ideal candidate to rotate with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski, but Liverpool will demand around £70m for him.
