Man Utd slash Rashford buy option to force through Barcelona transfer as wage details revealed
Manchester United have slashed the permanent transfer option fee for Marcus Rashford to force through his transfer to Barcelona this summer.
Rashford is a member of United’s ‘bomb squad’ along with Jadon Sancho, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrell Malacia, whom the Red Devils are desperately trying to get rid of ahead of the new season.
The England international enjoyed a productive six months on loan at Aston Villa last term but snubbed a permanent switch to Villa Park after they failed to qualify for the Champions League despite the West Midland club holding a £40m option to secure his permanent signing.
He’s only had eyes for Barcelona and after the Catalans were snubbed by Nico Williams and backed away from a possible move for Luis Diaz over Liverpool’s demands, they’ve now reached an agreement with Rashford and Manchester United.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano wrote on X: ‘BREAKING: Marcus Rashford to Barcelona, here we go! Verbal agreement in principle between all parties involved with Barça planning for medical tests next days. Loan deal with buy option, details being finalised today then Man Utd will authorize his travel to Spain.’
It was thought that Rashford’s wage of around £325,000 a week might pose a problem, with Barcelona either unwilling or unable to cover that salary quite as much as Villa, who were paying around 90% of it during his six-month stay.
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But Ben Jacobs revealed the remarkable lengths Rashford has gone to in an effort to expedite his dream move.
He has reported that Rashford will take ‘a salary cut’ and ‘be paid around €10m gross, including bonuses’, which works out at little under £170,000 a week.
That ‘concession’ means Barcelona can cover the entirety of his wage, which Manchester United will be able to write off their books for a season.
Mundo Deportivo have revealed a different wage cut, claiming Rashford has ‘given up 25% of his salary to fulfil his dream’, which means he would be taking home around £243,000 per week, while providing further detail on his Barcelona contract.
They confirm that the purchase option agreed is ‘not mandatory’ but that the fixed fee for the option is just €30m [£26m] – a significant drop to the fee Villa were required to pay this summer, and much lower than Transfermarkt’s €50m [£43m] valuation.
A report from Nacional claims that Hansi Flick is now looking at Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries as his next top target after completing a deal for Rashford.
