Manchester United may yet get the pay day they are hoping for when it comes to Marcus Rashford. The England forward does not appear to have any return route to Old Trafford having spent the last 18 months out on loan, including spells with Aston Villa and Barcelona.
Rashford particularly impressed during his time with the latter, registering 14 goals and as many assists to help the Blaugrana to their second successive LaLiga title.
Barcelona held an option to buy Rashford in the loan deal, which was worth €30million, but while the deadline to activate that option is not until June 15, Barca have already communicated that they will not be doing so. The story may not end there, though.
Barcelona may yet pull the trigger
Barcelona's Marcus Rashford during the warm up
According to Diario AS, Barcelona may yet move to sign Rashford despite deciding not to execute the option to buy. Reports in England have speculated that Barca's motive is to further reduce the fee, but that is not the case.
The LaLiga champions decided to sign Anthony Gordon on a deal worth up to €80million, upgrading their wing positions.
But the main reason is that they are fully focusing on landing a new striker to replace Robert Lewandowski, and they are well aware that a new centre-forward could cost them big money. Once that situation is resolved, Barca will revisit the Rashford situation to see whether they feel it is a deal worth doing.
United could theoretically charge more should Barca circle back around, but the Spanish club know the Red Devils want to sell, and they are likely to get a very similar, if not slightly reduced, deal should they decide to go ahead.
As far as Rashford himself is concerned, he may be disappointed that Barca haven't rewarded him with a permanent deal, but he is not alone in being the subject of the Catalan club's singular focus.
Reports emerged this week claiming soon-to-be former Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has been offered to Barca, but while they see him as a good option, they are not willing to do any business until they land their priority, which is a striker. Silva will also have to wait if he wants to join Barca this summer.
Cole backs Rashford to Chelsea
xabi alonso real madrid-1
In the meantime, former Chelsea winger Joe Cole is backing Rashford for a move to Chelsea as Xabi Alonso looks to upgrade his wing spots this summer. “It’s just a matter of the wages and the valuation,” Cole told the Sun Sport.
“Rashford ticks a lot of boxes, but you don’t want to spend a fortune on him – he’d do a good job for Chelsea. He needs to keep going, Marcus, he needs to keep his confidence up because he rebuilt himself at Barcelona, and there’s still another level for him to jump to. He’s someone Chelsea should inquire about, but it’ll depend on the deal.”
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As things stand, Marcus Rashford is set to return to Manchester United when his loan with Barcelona expires