Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford's potential move to Barcelona has been put into major doubt
Marcus Rashford’s dream of playing for Barcelona may be further from reality following the latest update.
have recently emerged as a potential club for the 27-year-old following a short-term loan spell with Aston Villa last season. With Rashford wishing to join a club, it's understood that .
However, his reported £325,000-a-week salary has made a permanent move difficult for interested clubs thus far. As a result, The Manchester Evening News understands
Meanwhile, Barcelona are reportedly working on a deal to sign Athletic Bilbao sensation Nico Williams. On Thursday, Bilbao issued a statement addressing Barca's interest while highlighting La Liga rules for registering players.
The Spanish giants encountered registration issues with Pau Victor and Dani Olmo earlier this year. The Catalans were granted temporary licenses to register the duo last summer but those registrations were then revoked in January after La Liga accused Barcelona of failing to prove they were compliant with the league's financial rules by their deadline of 31 December.
Still under financial constraints, Barcelona must comply with the ‘1:1 rule’ and are only able to spend as much as their income and accounts allow, governed by LaLiga, which calculates a limit.
Amid Barcelona's public courting of Williams this summer, Athletic sought a meeting with La Liga for clarity over Barcelona's current position and have now released a statement following the talks.
A statement released by Bilbao, : "The club appreciates the willingness and clarity of the organisation that defends the interests of all clubs. Within the framework of financial fair play, among other issues, FC Barcelona's ability to recruit players was discussed.
"Athletic Club would like to thank LaLiga de Futbol Profesional for the willingness and clarity shown at the meeting held yesterday between the two entities, which was attended by the presidents of both organisations, Javier Tebas and Jon Uriarte.
"The meeting was held in Madrid in response to a request from Athletic Club made within the framework of compliance with financial fair play. Among the topics discussed was FC Barcelona's ability to sign players, given Athletic Club's legitimate interest in accessing the relevant information, after FC Barcelona sporting director Deco publicly acknowledged that they will try to sign a player from our first team.
"This player has a contract with Athletic Club until June 30, 2027. Minding our own business means ensuring that the rules of the competition are followed. Deco’s statements add to the public statements made by FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta himself, admitting that the Blaugrana club “is working to be within the 1:1 rule” and that, therefore, it is not currently within the parameters of said rule for registering players.
"We appreciate LaLiga's complete willingness and clarity in its qualified response, and we affirm that Athletic Club will defend its interests to the fullest extent in compliance with the financial fair play regulations approved by each and every one of the professional clubs that make up LaLiga."
Earlier this month, Barca president Joan Laporta insisted there would be no issues for the club in registering new players. "We can sign players normally and are within the 1:1 [rule]," he said. "We are about to make an imminent signing and are working on another signing. We currently have a flexible relationship with La Liga, I believe we will be able to announce new signings soon."
However, should player registration prove to be an issue, Barca will likely be unable to make further additions to their squad - despite their interest in Rashford. The Blaugrana manager Hansi Flick reputedly views versatility as a valuable asset, making him an attractive option to pair with Williams, although this latest update suggests any move may well have to be on pause, for now at least.
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