Barcelona manager, Hansi Flick, has reached a decision on whether or not to sign Marcus Rashford from Manchester United outright amid a brutal new assessment from Spain.
Rashford wrapped up his campaign with Barcelona on Saturday, and it’s a season that delivered the biggest prize in Spain.
Rashford helped Barcelona win their second successive LaLiga title. He bagged eight goals and nine assists in the league, and 28 goal contributions across all competitions.
Rashford hasn’t always been a regular starter this term, which makes his end product all the more impressive.
However, that’s not stopped Spanish outlet Sport from delivering a particularly ruthless verdict on Rashford who did start Barca’s final match of the season versus Valencia.
Barca surprisingly tasted defeat when losing 3-1. Rashford played the full game and did not provide an assist or score.
When rating the players, Rashford was given a 6 out of 10, which isn’t all that bad considering his side lost. But the write-up that accompanied the score was cutting.
“Tough,” declared Sport, before adding: “That’s the typical adjective used to describe someone who runs a lot but doesn’t finish anything.
“At Barca, you have to demand more from a winger, beyond the Englishman’s extraordinary stats.”
Sport are presumably only referring to the Valencia game when insisting he ‘doesn’t finish anything’. To make that comment about the full season during which Rashford has scored 14 times whilst often being used from the bench would be harsh.
In any case, one figure who won’t be paying any attention to that assessment is Barcelona manager, Hansi Flick.
Just a few days ago, trusted reporter, Matteo Morreto, revealed the German boss has instructed his club to sign Rashford to a permanent deal.
“Hansi Flick has given the green light to Marcus Rashford’s permanence at Barca,” wrote the reporter on X.
“The English footballer is willing to make an economic sacrifice in order to stay.
“Now Barcelona will have to see how to move forward in the conversations with Manchester United.”
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Hansi Flick could help Man Utd sell Marcus Rashford
Flick may wind up being Man Utd’s greatest ally in this seemingly never-ending transfer saga.
United want to cash in on Rashford and they want to do it quickly. They have big transfer plans of their own and want to bank €30m / £26m and channel the funds towards new recruits.
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Barcelona could simply activate their option to buy worth €30m, but thus far, their attempts to bring Rashford back have centred on a second loan, or an outright purchase that doesn’t involve paying the €30m up front and in full.
Flick – who has now managed Barca to the LaLiga title in both of his seasons at the helm – could attempt to strong-arm the club and sporting director, Deco, into biting the bullet and paying up.
His stock is clearly at an all-time high in Catalonia right now, and less than a week ago, he penned fresh terms that ties his future to the Camp Nou until 2028.
For Man Utd’s sake, they’ll be hoping Flick puts his foot down and demands Barca stop messing around and get Rashford signed.
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