Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford has set Barcelona a deadline to do a loan deal before he entertains other options as the end of the transfer window approaches.
Rashford has only appeared in one matchday squad since the Red Devils beat Viktoria Plzen 2-1 on December 12 after his shock omission in the Manchester Derby a few days later.
The England international insisted he was ready for a “new challenge” shortly after the 2-1 win over Man City and he’s been linked with a number of clubs ever since.
Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Marseille and some Premier League sides have all been credited with interest but Rashford seems no closer to a transfer than he did at the beginning of the month.
The Man Utd forward now risks being frozen out permanently if he remains with Ruben Amorim criticising him for his performances in training after the Red Devils beat Fulham 1-0 on Sunday.
Amorim left the door ajar for Rashford to remain at Man Utd with the Portuguese head coach insisting that he would “welcome a talent” like the Man Utd forward “if he changes.
The Man Utd boss said: “Our team should be so much better with Rashford, but Rashford has to change. If he changes, we would more than welcome a talent like Rashford – and we need him. We need goals, we need one against one, we need a threat.
“But in this moment, I think it’s really clear we have to set some standards, that’s all. We are waiting for Marcus if he wants it really, really bad. That’s the only thing. You try to make it something personal, but it’s not personal. It’s nothing against Marcus.
“I just have to make the same rules for everybody. That for me is so simple, it’s always the same message. We are a better team with Marcus Rashford, that is clear. He is a big talent. But until the right moment I will not change my mind.”
And now reports in Spain claim that Rashford ‘has made it clear that his priority is to wear the Barca shirt, but time is running out.’
The England international ‘does not want to be left without a team or spend the rest of the season in the dugout at United’ and a deal to move on loan to Barcelona is ‘practically agreed’.
The Catalan giants ‘need to get rid of some players to free up salary margin and be able to register him’ and if either Ansu Fati and Pablo Torre leave before the deadline then ‘Rashford would have a clear path to land in Barcelona’.
Barcelona are ‘working on the possibility of including a purchase option on the loan’ but Rashford has ‘already set a deadline’ as he looks to get the deal moving.
President Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco see a possible deal for the Man Utd forward as ‘a unique opportunity’ and their goal is ‘to close an exit as soon as possible in order to bring in Rashford’.
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Man Utd legend Roy Keane thinks Rashford “must be ashamed” of himself for not showing a “decent attitude” and facing a January exit from his boyhood club.
Keane said on the Stick To Football Podcast: “I can’t get involved in the conversation.
“I still can’t understand at any level – whatever’s going on with players leaving, months left on contracts – a player who doesn’t train properly.
“I don’t understand it; you might as well leave me out of this conversation.
“Especially if you think he wants to move, which is more of a reason to train properly so when you go to a new club you’re up to speed and when you leave the club at least you showed a decent attitude. He must be ashamed.”
