Barcelona are reportedly eyeing a summer swoop for Marcus Rashford to strengthen their attack, which will be music to the ears of the Manchester United loanee.
Rashford joined Aston Villa on a short-term loan on deadline day after falling out of favour under head coach Ruben Amorim.
The Villans have the option to make the move permanent for £40 million at the end of the season, however, it is widely believed that the 27-year-old’s preference is a switch to Barcelona.
The Catalan giants opted against signing Rashford in January, but according to Fichajes, the Englishman is one of five players under consideration for reinforcing Hansi Flick’s options on the left wing when the transfer window opens in June.
The report claims that Flick is looking for a player “who can compete and rotate with Raphinha”, and that the Barcelona board is “already working on” finding the right man for the job.
Rashford is just one option on a list which also features Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku, Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens from Borussia Dortmund.
The Carrington graduate is described as “an interesting option” thanks to the uncertainty around his position at United, however the report seems to indicate that his best trait is that “he has expressed his interest in playing for Barcelona.”
In contrast, Diaz is “one of the names that the club likes the most”, Williams is “Barcelona’s big wish” and Bynoe-Gittens is “the youngest and most promising player on the list.”
Therefore Rashford, with seven goals and three assists in 26 matches this season, is simply “a viable alternative if the English club facilitates his departure.”
The report also looks at the finances involved in signing the players, and identifies the contracts of Doku, Williams and Bynoe-Gittens as possible blockers.
Liverpool are said to be “open to selling” Diaz, but the fact that Rashford is destined to leave Old Trafford can’t be underestimated.
All told, it seems fairly certain that the 27-year-old is not Barcelona’s top choice, and may in fact be their least-preferred option of the five.
However it is not hard to see circumstances falling in a way which secures the United player his dream move to the Nou Camp, so this could be one to watch.
Feature image Stephen Pond via Getty Images
Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
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.
