Marcus Rashford’s early season form is reported to have “delighted” Barcelona, but the club will not rush to commit to signing him permanently from Manchester United, reports claim.
The 27-year-old announced himself in style to Barcelona’s supporters in the Champions League last week, taking centre stage in Lamine Yamal’s absence to score a match-winning brace against Newcastle United.
That high was followed by an unexpected low, with Rashford dropped from Hansi Flick’s starting lineup on Sunday because of a disciplinary breach related to showing up late for a meeting, but his stock in Catalonia is high after a generally positive start to life in Spain.
Barcelona Balancing Decisions With Delicate Finances
Rashford’s loan spell from Manchester United does include an option to buy—an agreed fee of £26.2 million (€30 million, $35.2 million) is already in place—but crucially Barcelona are not obligated to fulfil those terms.
As Sky Sports News outline, Barcelona are in a position to negotiate that figure with United at the end of the season if they want to. There’s not thought to be a gap in valuation between the two clubs, meaning discussions over a permanent move should be cordial.
But signing Rashford permanently is seemingly not a conversation Barcelona are looking to have now, despite being pleased with the impact he’s made—teammates, club staff and supporters are all said to have been impressed with how he’s applied himself.
Barcelona’s delicate finances, which have dogged them for the past couple of years, are stated as a key factor in the decision to hold fire, with a bigger sample size of Rashford’s performances also desired before there’s a commitment either way.
Furthermore, Robert Lewandowski’s contract expires at the end of the season—that could mean that any available transfer kitty is redirected towards signing a top quality No. 9. Rashford is able to play centrally—he did so to great effect for United at various points—but it’s widely accepted that his best position is on the left wing, cutting inside onto his stronger right foot like he did so emphatically at St James’ Park.
Rashford’s High Wages an Obstacle
There’s also a potential issue in regards to Rashford’s wages. Barcelona agreed to cover his United salary in its entirety, but splashing out £325,000-per-week on a player not guaranteed to start every game is difficult to justify when ‘levers’ were pulled to make the deal possible in the first place.
Committing to paying Rashford that amount of money moving forward—or even a figure similar to that—could also provide headaches for Barcelona when they attempt to renew the contracts of other important players, or make further first-team signings.
At the very least, Rashford is said to be keen on staying at Barcelona for the long haul—but he still has plenty to prove between now and the end of the season, not least cementing his place as a regular fixture in Flick’s starting XI.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Enthusiastic’—Two Factors Barcelona Will Consider Over Marcus Rashford Signing.