Marcus Rashford’s future at Barcelona looked to have been pretty much sealed, with multiple reports claiming recently that the Catalans had told Manchester United they would activate the €30 million buy option in his contract.
Fast forward a few weeks and Barcelona’s stance appears to be changing. A report in Marca this week has claimed Barca are looking at Jan Virgili and Ez Abde as potential alternatives, while a new report from The Telegraph says that “Rashford’s permanent move to Catalonia is not
guaranteed” and adds Barca “are known to have sounded out potential wide-forwards.”
Joan Laporta has been asked about Rashford today and seemed to suggest that Barcelona may try to agree another loan deal instead of paying the purchase option.
“We’re very happy with Rashford,” he told Jijantes. “It’s not clear whether we’ll pay the €30 million; we could extend his loan. We’re exploring other options.”
Rashford, meanwhile, has been sidelined with a knee injury recently which has limited his involvement. He has returned to action but doesn’t have a goal or an assist in any of his last six appearances for the Catalans.
Barca have been pleased with his contribution so far since joining from United, but it seems a quiet end to the season for the England international could still seriously affect his chances of continuing.
