Manchester United hero Marcus Rashford is the focus of Barcelona's crosshairs, as they search for attacking reinforcement.
According to Mundo Deportivo in Spain, the England international is the standout target for the Catalans, who ambitiously want to tempt him to the Camp Nou. Extraordinarily, however, the outlet claims that Rashford has already agreed a deal with Barcelona once before, in 2018, but backed down to remain at Old Trafford.
While the sticking point in the transfer may well have seemed like interest from the United no.10, it appears as if Rashford could in fact welcome a move to Catalonia, claiming once before “Other than United, I’m a big fan of Real Madrid and Barcelona, because they’ve always had great players and played attractive football."
The forward has struggled of late for his club, too. Rashford scored three goals in four games after returning from a shoulder injury in the autumn but has not netted since and has yet to show Ralf Rangnick his best form.
While there is definite interest from both parties, however, Man United fans perhaps shouldn't be too worried about the rumours.
The biggest obstacle in any deal for Rashford to move to Barca remains money. The five-time European champions are infamously cash-strapped at the moment and with United in a position of financial supremacy, they're likely to demand a world-record figure for their academy product.
The club have an option to extend Rashford's deal to 2024 and as they've shown with Paul Pogba, they're more than happy to let an asset depreciate in value if they can still get the best out of them on the pitch.
Besides, Rashford seems in no rush to leave, with no rumours of his unhappiness. While fellow forward Mason Greenwood has been rumoured to have had his nose put out of joint by the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Rashford has openly welcomed the Portuguese to the side and made no secret of his admiration for the man he labels his hero.
In these early days of Rangnick's tenure, the German will be in no hurry to make lasting decisions over Rashford's future – and the board would likely veto any sale of their golden boy from the 63-year-old, especially considering that he is, after all, only an interim coach.
While Barcelona are eyeing the 24-year-old, they may have to look elsewhere. Edinson Cavani has been heavily linked with a switch, while Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains an option.
