Manchester United will undoubtedly have huge plans to kick off the next stage of their rebuild, but a Marcus Rashford dilemma can change everything as Barcelona’s finances become clear.
It’s an open secret that after spending north of £200m on new players last summer, the work is far from done, especially if the team underperforms again this season.
Even beyond the glaring hole in defensive midfield, upgrades might be needed elsewhere, which means another war chest will be opened next summer.
Despite United’s improving financial condition, the spectre of Marcus Rashford hangs over Old Trafford that can ruin the rebuild plans in one quick swoop.
Marcus Rashford playing against RC Celta de Vigo
Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images
Barcelona’s ‘levers’ and Man Utd’s £40m dilemma
Rashford has largely been impressive for Barcelona, and he needed to be, because the Catalans have a buy option, not an obligation.
He basically had to make himself undeniable this season because Barcelona’s financial situation isn’t the greatest, as they pulled one lever after another just to register players.
That presents a £40m dilemma for Man Utd, as explained by GRV Media’s Head of Football Finance and Governance Content, Adam Williams.
Williams said: “[Rashford] holds the high card here. United don’t have much leverage at all. The contract they agreed with him is entirely on them.
More United News
“He’s contracted until the end of 2027-28, so that’s about £34m United are committed to paying in wages. When you add National Insurance and other factors on top, you’re getting closer to £40m. Knowing that United have that financial albatross hanging around their neck gives [Barcelona] a huge amount of leverage in negotiations.
Are you happy with Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe?
“It may be that they are willing to agree to Rashford’s wage demands if they can negotiate a smaller fee with United.
“Barcelona’s finances have been a mess in recent history, but they are recovering. They are at about £860m in revenue, which is significantly higher than any Premier League side.
“The ‘levers’ have caused a big fuss, but they were needed to extricate themselves from the mess they were in. Barcelona will have the wriggle room to do a deal for Rashford, if that’s what they want.
“United have plenty of PSR headroom now and they should be fine under UEFA’s Squad Cost Rules too. Cash flow is the real concern and, clearly, having an asset on the books that isn’t in your plans on a £325,000-a-week wage is very, very far from ideal.”
Marcus Rashford’s contract is emblematic of poor management
Rashford’s stance on Barcelona might frustrate people at Old Trafford, but his contract is emblematic of poor management that Ineos will take learnings from.
His career-best displays came when he was fighting for a new contract, and links to PSG conveniently popped up when he was performing.
What do you think is Marcus Rashford’s legacy at Man Utd?
The Glazer era management, as panicky as they were, failed to read what was happening around them and caved into Rashford’s humongous demands.
A contract worth £325k/week for a player whose performances had always been hot-and-cold, in a contract year, was a recipe for disaster.
Of course, nobody thought it would be quite this bad, as Rashford has been exiled from the squad, but one doesn’t need the benefit of hindsight to call that contract a bad move.
His stubbornness in only moving to Barcelona has made that even worse, and with Barcelona’s poor finances and strong hand in negotiations, United are effectively held hostage next summer until Rashford’s future is resolved.
The dilemma is clear – negotiate hard with Barcelona and agree to a lower fee because Rashford earns so much, or keep him on the books as a dead asset. Barcelona will extract every discount they can on a transfer they hold all the cards on.
That could end up being the difference between a “good” window and a “great” window.