Marcus Rashford’s ‘dream’ move to Barcelona is looking increasingly unlikely as Hansi Flick has reportedly ‘asked’ the Catalan chiefs to sign an alternative forward.
Rashford is set to leave United this summer after a successful six-month loan spell at Aston Villa having fallen out with Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim.
Villa held a £40m option to make the England international’s move permanent, but their failure to qualify for the Champions League combined with Rashford’s desperation to join Barcelona has made that move highly unlikely.
Rashford has been doing everything possible to secure a move to the Nou Camp, including changing his representatives and offering to take a significant wage cut amid Barcelona’s financial woes.
Barca sporting director Deco confirmed last month that the club was interested in signing Rashford, along with Liverpool’s Luis Diaz.
“We like Luis [Diaz], we like [Marcus] Rashford, and we like other players,” Deco told RAC1. “When we go to the market, there are names that we know and that could improve the team.”
One of those alternative names is Ademola Lookman, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, who claim Flick ‘has asked the sports management for his signing’.
Liverpool have been heavily linked with the Nigerian, who has managed 52 goals and 25 assists in 118 appearances for Atalanta, but looks set to leave the Serie A club this summer.
A report in Italy last month claimed that the Reds ‘dreamed of immediately bringing Lookman to Anfield’ in January, but Atalanta ‘did not want to lose him’ at a ‘crucial’ phase of the season.
But it was added that Liverpool ‘will return to the attack’ for Lookman this summer, who is also ‘courted’ by Arsenal, Man Utd, Juventus and Napoli.
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Unsurprisingly, it was claimed that Atalanta ‘will not make any discounts’ and want 60 million euro (£50m) for their prized asset, but Liverpool ‘could include Chiesa in an exchange’.
Fichajes claim Barcelona are hoping to secure his signing for significantly less than that – around the €30m [£25m] mark – with Flick seeing Lookman as ‘a key piece to revitalise his team’s offensive front’ and reduce the workload on Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
The report adds:
‘From the club’s offices, the name proposed by Flick is positively valued, although any movement will depend to a large extent on the departures that take place in the coming weeks. With several pieces already on the exit ramp, and the need to comply with the financial adjustment, the operation by Lookman could move forward if space is freed up in the template. For Flick, adding to the Nigerian would mean giving the project immediate dynamism and a constant threat in attack.’
