Marcus Rashford may be set for his dream move to Barcelona in the summer, as Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the player remains appreciated by key figures at the Spanish giants.
The Englishman has been on loan at Aston Villa since the winter transfer window after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim.
The deal which took him there includes a £40m option to buy, but writing for GiveMeSport Romano explains that while the Villans are very happy with his performances they may be unable to get a permanent transfer over the line due to Financial Fair Play.
Romano says that Rashford’s impact at the Midlands side “has been massively appreciated” by coaching staff who have “a very good opinion” of the 27-year-old.
But the financial realities of signing a player whose current United contract is worth some £300,000 a week are setting in, with Villa sweating on the race for European spots to understand how much income they will have to play with in the summer.
Romano says Rashford and Villa manager Unai Emery have a good relationship and “are happy with each other’s approach”, and were it not for FFP a permanent switch to Villa Park would seem a good fit.
But the precarious financial situation opens the door for other suitors, of which Romano suggests there are plenty – including Rashford’s dream option of Barcelona.
It emerged last week that the Englishman hired a new agent to help secure a move to the Nou Camp, and he will take heart from Romano’s recent report.
The journalist indicates that director Deco and manager Hansi Flick appreciate not only Rashford’s versatility but also “his desire to join Barcelona”, which was clear in January.
It seems that the Carrington graduate could easily have ended up there instead of Villa, with the move only scuppered by Ansu Fati’s refusal to leave the Blaugrana.
But Fati is “fully expected to change his mind” and depart in the summer, which could open the door for Rashford to take his place in Flick’s squad.
Rashford’s future is sure to be a hot topic when the transfer window opens, but Amorim will hope that it can be sorted quickly to allow for maximum energy to be spent on a huge squad overhaul.
The Englishman is not the only United loanee linked with a move to Barcelona, who are reportedly interested in Antony thanks to the Brazilian’s red-hot form for Real Betis.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
