Marcus Rashford could be given a way out of Man Utd at Barcelona if the Red Devils can agree a deal that would see Ansu Fati move in the opposite direction, according to reports.
Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim dropped Rashford and his team-mate Alejandro Garnacho from his squad for their 2-1 victory over arch-rivals Man City in the Manchester Derby eight days ago.
That decision came after a week of speculation that the Red Devils are open to ‘top offers’ for the England international with Man Utd looking to cash in to help Amorim improve his squad.
Garnacho returned to Amorim’s squad for their 4-3 defeat to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup in midweek but Rashford was absent again after admitting he was ready for a “new challenge” away from Old Trafford in an interview with journalist Henry Winter.
An even clearer sign was given on Sunday that Rashford’s time at Man Utd is up when Amorim left out the 27-year-old for a third time as the Red Devils lost 3-0 to Bournemouth.
And now reports in Spain claim that Barcelona boss Hansi Flick ‘gives the OK’ for the Catalan giants to use Ansu Fati in a swap deal to sign Rashford from Man Utd.
Barcelona sporting director Deco is ‘working on a swap deal that could shake up the team’ with Flick believing that ‘the Englishman could bring more versatility and effectiveness to the Barca attack’.
Fati, who was on loan at Brighton last season, ‘has not convinced’ Barcelona boss Flick and ‘the irregularity in his performance have put his future in doubt’.
For Barcelona ‘the exchange operation would be ideal to reinforce a key position’ with Rashford possessing the ‘ability to adapt to various positions in attack is one of the reasons why Flick believes he would fit perfectly into his system’.
Man Utd ‘could be the perfect destination’ for Fati to ‘to regain confidence and show his potential’ but ‘negotiations will not be easy’ for Barcelona.
The La Liga side ‘see it as feasible to close a deal before the end of the winter transfer window’ and some at Barcelona are ‘already dreaming of seeing’ Rashford play at the Camp Nou.
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Former Premier League winger Shaun Wright-Phillips insists that Rashford and Garnacho are the two biggest casualties of Amorim’s formation change.
When asked the three players Man Utd should build around, Wright-Phillips said: “Obviously, Bruno. I would say Amad as well because I quite like him, his work rate. The way he wants to play, those two suit those midfield areas. I’m not sure if he knows the rest of his midfield.
“I’d also say Mazraoui. He seems to play a lot, and he seems to play the way Amorim wants to play.
“Other than that, I still think he’s still trying to find out who he likes and who he doesn’t like.
“I think, not because of talent, but Rashford and Garnacho have got a problem because they’re not used to playing that 10 position, both of them are used to being very wide.
“He doesn’t play wide wingers; he plays with wingbacks, and I don’t think either of those two could be a wingback.
“I think they’re going to find it hard to get into Amorim’s team in terms of attacking positions because I don’t think he knows his front two or three yet.
“Amorim has tried Zirkzee and Rasmus, and both are completely different sort of strikers. He messes around with the two number 10s, but I don’t think it is going to work for all of United’s attacking players unless he teaches them how to play that role. I can see Amorim bringing in a few of his own players in the summer or even in January if he can get them.”