Manchester United transfer news as Marcus Rashford's Barcelona transfer truth could open the door for a potential transfer bidding war in the summer
Josh is a Senior Football Writer for Reach PLC's Central Audience Team. Having previously spent over a year at football.london as a trends writer, Josh has experience covering Leicester City for the Leicester Mercury. You can find Josh's work across Reach PLC sides such as Manchester Evening News, football.london, Liverpool Echo, LeedsLive and many more.
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford is enjoying life at Manchester United
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Marcus Rashford's move to Barcelona from Manchester United has been a success for all parties in the opening two months. The forward joined the La Liga champions on a season-long loan in the summer and has rediscovered his form in Spain.
Rashford scored his first two goals for the club in the Champions League win over Newcastle United and has registered an assist in each of his last four league games.
After being left out by Ruben Amorim and sealing a 'dream' move to Camp Nou, Rashford has impressed, and it's understood that Barcelona have been delighted with his impact, on and off the pitch.
It was previously reported that Rashford's loan move to Barca would turn into a permanent one for £26.2million. However, that detail in the agreement has fallen into a 'grey area' with some reports suggesting it is only an option rather than an obligation.
In a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo, Barca's director of football, Deco, dispelled the rumours surrounding Rashford's future. "He's on a simple loan, there's no penalty, and if we want him, we have an option to buy," he said.
"It's too early to talk about decisions for next season, but what matters is that we're happy with him. What we thought he could bring to us, he's bringing.
"He's a very high-level player; he exploded very early, then he had great seasons at United, then he had years of more complicated management with changes of coaches, and perhaps he struggled too because they demanded a lot of things from him there.
Marcus Rashford of FC Barcelona looks on
Marcus Rashford has enjoyed an upturn in form since joining on loan from Manchester United this summer
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"But we're happy with him; that's the most important thing. These aren't decisions for now; now it's time to focus on the games to come. A decision will be made, but that's not being discussed right now."
News of Barcelona's option to sign Rashford, rather than an obligation, places a seed of doubt over where he will be at the end of the season. There's no surprise that Paris Saint-Germain have been touted as a club keeping tabs on the situation, especially after their previous interest.
There is a world in which Rashford performs well in Spain, and Barcelona decide against the permanent signing. That would leave United £26.2m short, but there will be optimism that other teams will come in to snap him up.
Should more than one interested party come forward, United could benefit from a bidding war for Rashford and potentially receive a higher fee than the one agreed upon with Barcelona.
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