Marcus Rashford was hoping to seal a permanent switch to Barcelona but his dream move might have gone up in smoke.
Marcus Rashford's move to Barcelona might be off
Marcus Rashford's move to Barcelona might be off
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Plenty of Manchester United fans felt the club had sold themselves short by inserting a £26million option to buy in the loan deal that saw Marcus Rashford swap Old Trafford for the Nou Camp last summer.
Twenty-eight goal involvements and a call-up to England's World Cup squad later suggest their view was justified. Barcelona aren't so sure they're staring at a bargain.
With a little over two weeks remaining before their £26m option to buy expires, Barca are doing a good job of hiding the bunting if indeed they are planning on announcing the permanent signing of Rashford. Signing a different forward for nearly three times the price Rashford would cost is a very expensive decoy if Anthony Gordon's move to Catalonia is just meant to throw us off the scent of Rashford's grand unveiling.
The truth is Rashford's dream move to Barcelona has never looked further away. Having played a role in their La Liga triumph and been lauded by sporting director Deco for his impact at the Nou Camp - with Deco even going as far as to say he'd had a "very good" season in Spain - the United loanee once again looks to be stuck in no man's land.
United have always insisted there would be no budging on the fee for Barcelona and they weren't interested in another loan deal. It was a case of pay up or they'll move on, and the latter is looking the more likely outcome.
After years of poor negotiating and U-turns in the transfer market, United should be commended for their stance on Rashford. He has no future at United - though Michael Carrick was understandably coy when asked about the forward's future recently - but that doesn't mean he isn't a top player, and they shouldn't be forced to sell him for pennies just to get him off the books.
Very commendable. But if United do move on, where are they moving on to?
There are a whole host of top forward players set to be on the move this summer. United have themselves been monitoring Yan Diomande, with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich among those also to be linked with the youngster.
AC Milan's Rafael Leao could be on the move, Mohamed Salah looks set to be the marquee signing of the summer for either the MLS or the Saudi Pro League, and there are plenty of players still plying their trade in the Premier League who could prove to be attractive options for any club looking to bolster their forward line.
On the other side of Manchester alone, City could be set to sanction an exit for Jack Grealish, while Savinho could also be on his way out of the Etihad with Tottenham interested in signing the winger for the second consecutive summer.
Meanwhile, Morgan Rogers is set to feature at the World Cup alongside Rashford, potentially further enhancing his growing reputation as rumours continue to swirl over where his future could lie.
World Cup summers are synonymous with unexpected transfers, as players catapult themselves into the spotlight to earn big-money moves off the back of impressive displays at the showpiece event of international football.
Plenty more will do just that this summer, and United need to hope Rashford shows the world what he can do. Because it might not be an easy task to move him on if he doesn't.