Manchester United are ‘ready to seal a Rashford agreement’ with a Premier League rival as Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has told him the ‘only’ way a move to Nou Camp will happen this summer.
Rashford enjoyed a loan spell at Aston Villa in the second half of last season to raise his profile ahead of a summer in which he’s doing everything possible to force through his ‘dream’ move to Barcelona.
The England international has been dealt a major blow as the Catalans close in on Nico Williams as their new left winger, and although reports have suggested Flick is still keen on Rashford after sporting director Deco revealed last month that “we like” the Red Devils star, the La Liga giants’ financial struggles are providing a significant roadblock to his transfer.
For their part, United want to seal his permanent exit in order to raise funds for their own rebuild and to get his £300,000-per-week salary off their wage bill, but a report from The Telegraph claims the club bosses now accept that they will now likely need to heavily subsidise loan moves for a number of their players this summer ‘with buying clubs ready to exploit the need to offload players before the start of the Premier League season’.
The report states:
‘[Alejandro] Garnacho, Rashford and Brazil forward Antony have contracts until 2028, which United are now expected to subsidise even if they leave the club and are playing for a rival. Jadon Sancho will also be allowed to leave after loans in the last two campaigns.
United will look to negotiate “salary recovery” from loan deals for their players, although intermediaries believe their ‘bargaining power has been undermined by clearly wanting players off their books.’
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That report has led Tottenham News to claim United are ‘ready to seal a Rashford agreement with Tottenham’ as United paying a significant portion of his wages would be the only way Daniel Levy would sanction the move, but Rashford may well wait for Barcelona.
He may well be waiting indefinitely though as a report from Spanish outlet Nacional has claimed Flick ‘has been clear: there is no place for him if there are no departures’.
It’s claimed Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski are ‘the two options’ who could leave to open the door for Rashford, but ‘both look complicated’ as neither player wants to leave the club.
The report adds:
‘At Barça they value his [Rashford’s] profile, his offensive versatility and his experience, but Flick believes that, with the arrival of Nico [Williams], the attack is already covered, and he does not want to incorporate unnecessary players that complicate the balance of the locker room or the management of the group.
‘The Barça coach has made it clear that he does not want an oversized squad, especially in attack. With Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Ferran Torres and Lewandowski, the offensive positions are more than covered. That’s why Flick has been categorical: Rashford could only arrive if a weight loss occurs first.’