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Marcus Rashford has started well on loan at Barcelona, but a permanent deal may still be fraught with difficulties.
The 27-year-old made the temporary switch this summer from Manchester United, where he had fallen out of favour under Ruben Amorim, prompting a loan to Aston Villa before this agreement with Barca.
The agreement is said to include an option for the Catalan club to buy the winger permanently for £27m, according to Sky Sports News, which would be a bargain based on his CV and current form.
Robert Lewandowski issue could undo Marcus Rashford’s Barcelona dream
He’s raced out of the blocks for the La Liga outfit, notching three goals and five assists in 10 appearances across all competitions so far; strong output considering he hasn’t been a nailed-on starter.
But regardless of the winger’s form, Barca may simply not have the bandwidth to take him on next summer.
Their primary striker is still Robert Lewandowski, who has bagged 105 goals in 156 appearances for the club so far, but is 37 years old and the club are leaning towards not extending his current deal beyond 2026, according to Sport.
Should they follow through with that plan, they will need all the spare cash they can get to fund a headline replacement. Amid constant player registration issues caused by an uncertain financial picture, it’s clear there isn’t a lot of the stuff lying around, so Barca will need to prioritise.
With Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo and youngster Roony Bardghji at their disposal, such priority is unlikely to be given to wide areas with a Lewandowski-shaped hole up top.
However, Rashford himself perhaps foresaw this potential hiccup, as he told Spanish YouTube channel xBuyer, back in June, that playing as a no.9 is “becoming more comfortable, more natural,” after his loan spell with Villa.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, if Barcelona are faced with a straight decision to buy Rashford or replace Lewandowski, there is little debate about what they’ll opt for.
However, if the England winger can convince Barca chiefs he can be the replacement, he’ll stand a much better chance of landing a permanent contract, which he seems to have tried to get ahead with this summer in the Spanish press.
But, this is Barcelona, and if Rashford performs so well that the club cannot bear to let him slip through their fingers for £27m, you wouldn’t bet against them finding another financial lever down the back of the sofa.
Rashford is valued at €40m, according to Transfermarkt. Barcelona next face Olympiacos when Champions League football returns next week.
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