Rashford and Man Utd both drop demands to ease ‘great goal’ of move to Euro giants
Marcus Rashford has one ‘great goal’ this summer and both he and Manchester United are reportedly willing to take a financial hit in order to make it happen.
Rashford moved to Villa on loan in January and managed four goals and six assists in a largely impressive spell before picking up a hamstring injury which looks set to rule him out for the rest of the campaign.
Earlier this week, a report claimed Man Utd and Aston Villa are currently ‘in talks’ over whether to end his loan early.
‘Rashford knows there is unlikely to be any future for him at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim, so the Red Devils will listen to offers. And he plans to sit down with his employers before mid-June.
‘Yet he may be forced to return earlier than expected if the two clubs agree as there is no prospect of him recovering inside three weeks. That comes in spite of Villa holding a £40m buy option for Rashford as part of their loan agreement with United.
‘Rashford is said to be undecided on his future as things stand and will have the final say on where he plays next season.’
Rashford is desperate to play Champions League football next season and even though Aston Villa are still in with a decent chance of finishing in the top five and qualifying, the England international appears to have made up his mind not to join the Villans.
READ MORE: Where next for Marcus Rashford? Villa or ‘dream’ scenario threatened by lack of cash?
Unai Emery’s side hold a £40m option to make his loan permanent at the end of the season, but the move won’t happen without Rashford’s say-so, and the forward only has eyes for Barcelona.
He was linked with a move to the Catalan giants in January, but they were put off by his £325,000 per week wages, which Villa are paying 75 per cent of.
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Rashford though has told Barcelona that he’s willing to take a significant pay-cut in order to make the move happen.
A report from Spanish outlet SPORT states:
‘His great goal is to try to play for Barça and his environment has already sent to the Blaugrana leaders that he is willing to lower his salary ostensibly so that the operation can be viable from an economic point of view. Barça is his favorite project and he will do everything possible to dress in Blaugrana.’
It’s also claimed that United are willing to lower their demands to get Rashford off their books, dropping their £40m asking price to €35m (£30m).
But there’s doubt as to whether Barcelona will take up the option, as a new forward is not a priority despite Hansi Flick admiring Rashford’s qualities.
The report adds:
‘Rashford’s main problem is his salary because United is willing to sell for a maximum of 35 million euros, a figure only understandable due to the distance between the club and the footballer. United’s idea is to sell it and save the contract it has signed until 2028. The English star is one of the highest paid footballers in the Premier League and that has made many clubs retreat due to the final amount of the operation.
‘But Rashford is very clear that in the case of Barça he would press to lower the transfer or even force a loan and would put everything on his side with a salary reduction that could make him affordable for the Blaugrana club. The striker was already clear in the January negotiations that, sportingly, he fit for Barça but that the financial problems of the Blaugrana club were an insurmountable barrier.
‘In Barça they have taken note, but there is no decision about it. Both the sports management and Hansi Flick appreciate Rashford’s talent, his physical power and his offensive versatility, but today it is not a priority to sign another attacker, although there is debate. The club understands that it will be possible to sign although with great economic caution and they would be advancing in other positions that would be more necessary. Everything is open because there may also be exits that will end up enlivening the market at Camp Nou.
‘In fact, the sports management has detected that a good number of top-class stars are offering to play at Barça, something that has not been so common in recent years. Flick is building a winning project and Barça is now an attraction for many footballers. Deco and Flick will have a lot to choose from but the goal more to sign will be to retain the block to continue moving forward in the future.’