Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford is now the subject of strong interest from Aston Villa as a move to Barcelona now looks ‘practically impossible’, according to reports.
Amorim left out Rashford from his squad to face Man City in a 2-1 Manchester Derby win in December and the England international has only made one squad since.
Man Utd boss Amorim has always called it a “selection” decision when referring to Rashford’s omission but he changed tack after their 1-0 win over Fulham.
Amorim said he would rather play Man Utd goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital over Rashford as he hinted that the 27-year-old wasn’t giving his all in training.
Rashford has been linked with a number of clubs this month after admitting in an interview that he is ready for a “new challenge” away from Old Trafford.
Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, West Ham and other clubs have been mooted but clubs are finding it tricky to cover all or part of his huge wages at Man Utd.
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And Relevo journalist Matteo Moretto now claims that a move to Barcelona is getting more unlikely by the day with Premier League side Aston Villa now entering the race to sign Rashford.
On the future of the Man Utd forward, Moretto wrote:
‘In the last few hours, FC Barcelona has admitted that the arrival of Marcus Rashford in the winter market is practically impossible. Despite the interest that the Catalan club has shown in the English striker, the operation has been complicated due to the lack of space in the squad and the economic limitations that the Blaugrana entity faces.
‘According to sources close to the negotiations, there have been new contacts between Barcelona and Marcus Rashford himself in the last few hours . However, the club’s sporting management understands that, in order for Rashford to arrive, it would be essential to free up wages through the departure of a player . So far, neither Ansu Fati nor any other potentially transferable player is willing to leave Barcelona. With all this in mind, the operation is at a standstill.
‘At this time of the transfer market and with just over two days to go, neither party can allow the move to become stagnant , so the player’s entourage is already exploring new alternatives. The main idea is for the striker to leave Manchester United this winter, which is why his representatives are offering him to other Premier League teams, a competition he knows like the back of his hand.
‘Several clubs have begun to activate their strategies to try to sign the Manchester United striker. Among them, Aston Villa has emerged as one of the main interested parties in securing Rashford’s services, although no official offer has yet been made. Monchi, as sporting director of the Birmingham club, has been having a great market and will have plenty of liquidity after closing the sale of Jhon Durán to Saudi Arabia for 77 million.
‘With the transfer market in full swing, Rashford’s situation remains a mystery. The more the hours go by, the further he moves away from Barcelona and from wearing the Barcelona shirt of FC Barcelona.’
