Barcelona have officially completed the signing of Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford.
The England international has managed to secure his dream move after all. Rashford had been pushing to join Barcelona already in January, but Ansu Fati’s refusal to leave Catalunya meant that the Blaugrana were not in a position to sign him.
Six months on, Fati has joined Monaco and Barcelona, after failing to land priority targets Luis Diaz and Nico Williams, have snapped up Rashford from Man Utd on an initial loan.
Rashford had been clear with his other suitors that he would only consider their approaches if a move to Barcelona proved impossible, but the LaLiga champions have managed to make it happen.
The Blaugrana will have a €30 million purchase option next summer, while they will also pay the entirety of the 27-year-old’s salary. Rashford has agreed to take a pay cut to make the deal possible, but as things stand, Barcelona need to make sales before they can register the Englishman.
Barcelona sign Rashford
Rashford’s move to Barcelona is a win-win for everyone involved. To be sure, Man Utd would have preferred an outright sale this summer to have funds available for their own incoming business, but it is a huge plus for them that they won’t have to pay a penny for Rashford next season.
It has been clear since December that the academy graduate has no future at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim, so he will be delighted to have secured a move to one of Europe’s top sides. Cynical voices would even describe this transfer as failing upwards.
As for Barcelona, they have secured a player who can be devastating on his day. Rashford’s versatility made him attractive to head coach Hansi Flick, who wanted more cover for Raphinha on the left and Robert Lewandowski up top.
Rashford has already announced that he is willing to lead the line for Barcelona by stating that he is now very comfortable playing as a centre-forward. With Pau Victor on his way to Braga, Rashford will be Lewandowski’s new deputy.
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