Barcelona continues to work hard to try to fix the mess caused by the failure to sign Nico Williams. The Athletic Club player was the favorite to arrive at Camp Nou because he was cheaper than the big favorite, Luis Díaz. With the Spanish international renewing his contract with the Basque club until 2035, the Colombian is now the leading option, but Bayern Munich has got in the way and is in advanced negotiations, so other candidates are being considered, one of whom is Marcus Rashford, who is desperate to wear the Blaugrana shirt.
The Catalan club’s sporting management is under a lot of pressure to find the necessary reinforcement for Hansi Flick’s squad. At the Camp Nou offices, they are clear that they need an attacker to increase competition in an area of the field that is well covered by Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Lewandowski, and Ferran Torres. The number of games on the calendar increases the risk of injuries, so rotations will be necessary, and although Dani Olmo can also play in that attacking line, the idea is to bring in a player to complete the Barça forward line.
As everyone knows, Nico Williams’ renewal has forced Barça to look elsewhere. Luis Díaz has become the leading candidate, but Liverpool will not sell him for less than $70 million. Added to that, Saudi Arabian teams have come knocking on the Colombian’s door, offering a salary that no one can match. As if that were not enough, in Germany they claim that there is already an agreement between the Colombian international and Bayern Munich, which means that Barcelona could face another rejection.
Rashford’s hints
That is where a low-cost option such as Marcus Rashford comes into play. He was already linked with Barcelona in January, but the English international ended up at Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. Despite being with the Birmingham club, the striker has had no qualms about showing his desire to join the Azulgrana, which is why those close to him have leaked to the press that he would even be willing to take a pay cut to leave for Barcelona for good.
As if that weren’t enough, in recent months Marcus Rashford has used social media to send continuous nods to Lamine Yamal, commenting on his Instagram photos. Nor should we forget that the Manchester United player recently told the Buyer brothers, content creators, that he would love to share a dressing room with the young Barça star, so it’s clear as day that he is publicly offering himself to Barcelona.
Sentenced by United
Everything points to Marcus Rashford leaving Manchester United this summer, although it remains to be seen whether he will be transferred or, once again, loaned out. For now, the Red Devils have started their preseason and the English striker has not been seen at Carrington, the Manchester club’s training ground. Players such as the Briton, Jadon Snacho, Antony, and Alejandro Garnacho have been given permission not to attend the training facilities so that they can try to resolve their future as soon as possible.
Marcus Rashford, who will turn 28 in October, has also seen his shirt number given to Mateus Cunha, who arrived at Old Trafford in recent weeks, which is another clear indication that Manchester United is desperate to get rid of the English striker. This desperation could also be exploited by Barcelona, either to sign him on loan or to lower the €45 million that the Red Devils were demanding for his sale a few months ago.