Barcelona are ready to make Marcus Rashford’s dreams a reality.
The Manchester United forward, 27, has his heart set on a move to the Catalan giants this summer.
But The i Paper understands that Barcelona are unwilling to pay the £40m option-to-buy United agreed with Aston Villa.
Rashford’s season appears to be over after he picked up a hamstring injury, which meant he missed Villa’s FA Cup semi-final defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Villa are now in talks with United over whether to cut short his loan move if there is no chance he will be fit again in the coming weeks.
A premature end to his season means Rashford and his representatives can get to work on deciding what happens next.
Barcelona has long been the preferred destination, so much so the player is understood to be willing to take a “substantial” pay cut, as one source put it, to secure the move.
Such is Rashford’s desire to play for a club in regular Champions League action, the 27-year-old is unsure about whether he would want to make his move to Villa a permanent one, despite him finding form again under Unai Emery.
Rashford knows any kind of return to United is unlikely, with Ruben Amorim and minority co-owners Ineos keen to move the homegrown player on, given the breakdown in relationship with the manager.
United are also desperate to secure some funds for Amorim’s crucial squad revamp this summer, with at least two attackers part of his transfer plans – one central striker and a versatile wide forward.
Matheus Cunha is the most likely to fulfil that latter role, with talks advancing over a proposed £62.5m switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Liam Delap fits the profile of the kind of centre-forward United are interested in, with progress made on a cut-price deal, given that the 22-year-old’s relegation clause has been activated following Ipswich Town’s demotion.
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Those two deals alone will take United’s spending past £100m – money the club do not have readily available.
Their financial position will be even more restrictive if United fail to win the Europa League.
Therefore, money from player sales is a must, with Ineos essentially open to offers on almost all members of the squad, including youngsters Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho.
Antony, Jadon Sancho and Rashford – all out on loan at present – are the other three who could raise the kind of funds Amorim can reinvest in his team.
Sources in Spain insisted Barcelona are aware of United’s position, and that will affect how they approach any negotiations.
Barca are in need of a wide forward, one capable of also playing through the middle.
Beyond their impressive current widemen – Lamine Yamal and former Leeds United winger Raphinha – their options are thin on the ground, while there is also very little cover for 36-year-old centre-forward Robert Lewandowski.
The La Liga leaders are short of cash themselves, but the reduced transfer fee they believe could persuade United to let Rashford go gives them a little more leeway in contract negotiations, as does the player’s preference of club.
Despite Villa’s willingness to pay the £40m transfer fee, Rashford’s wage demands, even if they are substantially less than his current £300,000-a-week deal at United, are unlikely to be matched.
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