Manchester United remain intent on selling Marcus Rashford this summer, and there will be no route back for him at Old Trafford, despite two sources providing the latest on his chances of a move to Barcelona and why two issues now complicate a potential permanent transfer.
The England forward will head to the World Cup this summer with his future anything but straightforward. Having exceeded all expectations at Barcelona while on loan this season, notching 28 goal contributions (14 scored, 14 assists) in his 49 appearances, it seems like a no-brainer that the LaLiga champions take up their €30m (£26m, $35m) option to sign Rashford permanently.
However, Barcelona have since moved to strike an agreement with Newcastle for Anthony Gordon, who will join the Catalan giants in a £69m transfer this weekend, thus placing serious doubt over whether a permanent move for Rashford will materialise at all.
Despite that, our sources are adamant that Barcelona could still sign Rashford this summer, and with the player still adamant he wants the move to Catalonia, hope still remains that a deal can be done that will ensure the 28-year-old will be back at the Nou Camp next season.
However, any move remains far from straightforward, with Gordon’s signing complicating the issue, while their ongoing pursuit of Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez adds another spanner into the works.
“My information is still that Marcus Rashford remains a priority for Barcelona in addition to Anthony Gordon,” Jacobs said on United Stand.
“Barca are in talks with Julian Alvarez as well, which might be the one which complicates it for Rashford.
“Man Utd‘s position is to ignore all of the noise and all of the other signings and keep reiterating to Barcelona that this €30m option to buy is excellent value for money and is well below Rashford’s value!”
And in a blunt message that appears to rule out any possibility of Rashford returning to Old Trafford this summer despite noises to the contrary elsewhere in the media, Jacobs added: “Man Utd do not want Rashford back!”
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Man Utd sale of Rashford to Barcelona gets complicated
Despite United and Rashford being on the same page concerning a permanent move to Barcelona, it seems the Catalan giants remain in something of a quandary as they also look to add a new centre-forward to their mix this summer, with both Joao Pedro and Alvarez targeted as options to replace Robert Lewandowski.
And any move to sign another striker could yet have serious implications for Rashford.
The Athletic’s Pol Ballus certainly thinks Gordon’s move could impact Rashford, claiming a deal is now ‘more complicated’.
Ballus explained: ‘It certainly has a big impact on Rashford’s chances of staying. Barca sources insist their Gordon pursuit does not impact their interest in signing a central striker, with Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez and Chelsea’s Joao Pedro set as their top priorities. They want to sign both profiles of players.
‘Sources close to Rashford maintain that no decision has been communicated to them, and they still see a chance of remaining at the club next season alongside Gordon’s arrival. They know Flick has been very satisfied with the 28-year-old’s output this season, after scoring 14 goals and delivering 14 assists in 49 games in all competitions. The manager is open to Rashford staying at the club, but other decision-makers in the club have more doubts.
‘Senior executives at Barca admit that with the arrival of Gordon, the chances for Rashford to stay are “more complicated”.
Interestingly, it’s claimed Barcelona have set a deadline of June 15 to notify Manchester United if they intend to trigger the €30m buy option for Rashford.
Either way, it seems United have already moved on from Rashford and are planning life after their homegrown star, having targeted others who could boost their own attack.
With that in mind, Manchester United have been given a boost as they try to prise Morgan Rogers away from Aston Villa.
Jacobs has also claimed up to ‘seven or eight’ new players might join Michael Carrick’s side in a transformative summer window.
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