Barcelona have already reached a final decision on Marcus Rashford’s future at Camp Nou just one month into the new season, a blockbuster new report reveals.
A Triumphant Return to England
Rashford, 27, joined the Spanish powerhouse on a season-long loan in the summer after a public fallout with Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim.
Designed as part of Amorim’s ‘bomb squad’, INEOS made it clear the England international had no future at Old Trafford while the former Sporting manager was at the helm.
Rashford was intent on completing a “dream move” to Barcelona – a club he has revered since he was a child – and this intention limited United’s negotiating options.
The La Liga champions were aware of Rashford’s desire to swap Manchester for Catalonia and leveraged this to agree a loan for the forward, rather than United’s preference of a permanent transfer.
A €30 million (£26m) buy clause was included in the deal as well as complete coverage of his wage packet at Old Trafford.
Rashford endured a quiet start to life at Camp Nou with only a solitary assist in his opening five appearances. But the 27-year-old exploded to life in a Blaugrana shirt last night as he made a triumphant return to English football.
Rashford fired his adopted side to a 2-1 win over Newcastle in the Champions League, scoring a superb double in a message of defiance to his boyhood club.
It’s the type of performance Barcelona targeted the forward for – and has confirmed their decision to “finalise [his] permanent signing” next year, Graeme Bailey reveals to TBR Football.
A deal could be struck in January
The report contends Barcelona are intent on activating the option to sign Rashford permanently, and will even “explore” whether a deal is possible in January.
“Barcelona fully intend on bringing Marcus Rashford to the club permanently, and as it stands, that will be happening at the end of the season,” Bailey states.
“But there is a chance it could happen early, if United are looking for cash in January, if Barca move a player or two on…it is one to keep an eye on.
“Barca are very happy with how he has settled into life at the club. He is working hard and is showing Deco and Hansi Flick they were right to approve the deal.
“Rashford, for his part, knows that he is going to become a Barcelona player on a permanent basis, but he knows the club have put themselves out and he has and is working hard to show just how good he is.”
Barcelona would need to sell players in order to finance the winter deal for Rashford – and would only be willing to complete the transfer at a reduced fee of “around £20m”.
The report concludes it “remains to be seen” whether United would accept this proposal, though it increasingly looks as if the Red Devils will need to dip into the market themselves to secure a new midfielder after their early struggles.
Rashford’s status as an academy graduate means his sale, even at a lower price, would constitute ‘pure profit’ from a PSR perspective, and could help fund a new signing worth much more than £20m as a result.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
