Why Manchester United approved Marcus Rashford's Barcelona loan move

Marcus Rashford is likely to get his Barcelona season-long loan move approved by Manchester United after both teams are said to have come to a broad agreement. 27-year-old Rashford was among the players Ruben Amorim's Manchester United handed extended time off to boost their effort to find a new club before the transfer window shut.

 

Marcus Rashford always preferred a move to Barcelona, but the La Liga champions preferred Nico Williams and Luis Diaz over the Englishman. Nico Williams decided to extend his stay at Athletic Bilbao, while Bayern Munich is well on its way to signing Liverpool's Colombian winger. The Reds had earlier rejected Barcelona's advances for Diaz, but it is said that the player then informed the management of his decision to leave, and Bayern made the most of the opportunity. This left Hansi Flick's team with Marcus Rashford.

 

United's homegrown talent wanted Barca from the beginning and had even talked about his enthusiasm to play alongside Lamine Yamal and the rest of the "best" at Camp Nou. His career at United is almost certainly over after a fallout with Ruben Amorim. When his prospects of reaching Catalonia looked bleak, he was linked with a move to Turkey to once again play for Jose Mourinho, who is now in charge of Fenerbahce.

 

 

Manchester United had included Rashford among the players they wanted to sell this summer as they are in the middle of a squad overhaul and want funds to land their targets. His current contract means the winger-striker earns a £325,000-a-week contract at Old Trafford. According to Sky Sports, Barcelona have agreed to cover all expenses as part of the loan deal, which is said to have convinced United. Not having to worry about the huge pay cheque of their academy graduate is the catch for the club, who had allowed him to join Aston Villa on a six-month loan deal last season as well.

 

 

The Premier League side had the option to make Rashford's stay permanent for £40 million, but it was not triggered by Unai Emery's team, who are wrestling with financial fair play regulations.

 

Rashford has three years remaining on his current contract, meaning United still have time to sell him for a profitable rate. There was no information whether the proposed loan deal also included a buy option, and for how much. Marcus Rashford has so far scored 138 goals in 426 games as a Red Devil since making his debut as an 18-year-old in February 2016.

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