Spanish champions will pay forward’s £17million wages during season-long switch, which is welcome news to Ruben Amorim as he bids to revamp Man United squad
Marcus Rashford is expected to travel to Barcelona in the coming days to undertake a medical after the Catalan club agreed to sign the England forward on loan.
It is understood that an agreement in principle was reached between the two clubs — through intermediaries — on Saturday and the player is said to be excited at the prospect of making his dream switch to the Nou Camp.
Should all the formalities be completed, the 27-year-old will become a Barcelona player in the next few days.
Under the terms of the proposed deal, Barcelona will have the option to buy Rashford for a certain — as yet undisclosed — fee at the end of the season.
It is also understood that the Spanish champions will pay all of Rashford’s wages during the season-long loan, which will be his second temporary move away from Old Trafford in the space of a year.
That will shave about £17million off United’s wage bill, which is welcome news to the head coach, Ruben Amorim, who is trying to revamp his squad.
Rashford spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, where he scored four goals and assisted six more in 17 appearances. He missed the last five matches of the season with a hamstring injury, but he has overcome the issue and has maintained his fitness throughout the off-season by using a personal trainer during a holiday in Marbella.
Hansi Flick, who won La Liga in his first year in charge, had tried to sign Nico Williams and Luis Díaz from Athletic Bilbao and Liverpool respectively, but could not strike a deal for either player so he turned to Rashford, speaking to him on the phone a few weeks ago to try to lure him to Barcelona.
Rashford, who has three years left on his £325,000-a-week contract, left for Villa last season because he fell out with Amorim, who accused the forward of a lack of application and focus on and off the pitch.
Villa rejected the opportunity to sign Rashford for £40million and the player himself was not keen on a long-term stint at Villa Park, mainly because they are not playing in the Champions League next season. With Barcelona, Rashford will have a chance to play in Europe’s top club competition.
Finding his way into the starting XI will not be easy, though. Raphinha, the Brazilian, started in Rashford’s favoured left-wing position last season and was one of the best players in Flick’s team.
On the right wing, Barca have Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old sensation that Rashford said recently he would love to play alongside. Flick’s first-choice striker is Robert Lewandowski, who scored 42 goals in all competitions last season, even though he is 36 years old.
Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo are also in Flick’s squad, although the latter has largely played as a No10 under the German.