Marcus Rashford is close to joining Barcelona on loan after Manchester United agreed in principle to let the striker move to the Spanish champions. Barcelona’s offer, made through intermediaries, includes an option to buy the 27-year-old next summer and has been approved by head coach Hansi Flick. Rashford has held talks with Flick, while his brother and representative, Dwaine Maynard, met Barcelona officials in Catalonia last month.
The England international is one of five United players told they have no future at the club and has been training away from Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad. Rashford, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, has been training at a gym in Salford and at United’s Carrington base, but only after the first-team players had left. United value him at £40m, but no permanent offers have arrived for a player with three years left on his £325,000-a-week contract, leaving Barcelona’s proposal to suit all parties.
Rashford has ruled out taking a wage cut and wants to join a Champions League club rather than move to the Saudi Pro League. Talks between United and Barcelona are continuing, but an outline agreement is in place. Flick is keen to add versatile forwards despite having Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, and Barcelona had shown interest in Liverpool’s Luis Díaz before being told the Colombia international is not for sale. Liverpool have rejected a €67.5m offer from Bayern Munich for Díaz.
Rashford has spent 20 years at United, scoring 138 goals in 426 appearances for his boyhood club, but has not featured since being dropped by Amorim for the Manchester derby in December. He said later that month he was ready for a new challenge away from Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Amorim’s side drew 0-0 with Leeds in their first pre-season friendly in Stockholm on Saturday. Matheus Cunha made his United debut following his £62.5m move from Wolves and played the first 45 minutes. Amorim said: “I think Matheus Cunha showed what we need - that is the player when he receives the ball between the lines can be really aggressive in direction of the opponent.” United travel to the United States next week for the Premier League Summer Series, and have agreed a deal that could rise to £71m for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, who underwent a medical on Saturday.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke confirmed he has told Patrick Bamford he will not be involved in their Premier League campaign because of fitness problems. Farke said: “The second day of pre-season I got him into my office and told him that he was not in my plans for the upcoming Premier League season, just in the fact that he had really difficult years in the last years.”
