Rashford and Barcelona: Will there be a last-minute surprise offer?

FC Barcelona could 'save' Marcus Rashford's season with a last-minute offer. The English international has ruled out some options in lower-tier leagues (like the Turkish league) in hopes of finding a spot in the Blaugrana team. Hansi Flick is open to his arrival, although the board will only activate negotiations with Manchester United if there is a departure from the squad before the winter transfer market closes this Monday, February 3.

The 27-year-old forward knows he is not part of coach Rúben Amorim's plans and is even willing to take a pay cut to facilitate his move to Barcelona. The Portuguese coach has not even called him up for the last matches of United in the Premier League, FA Cup, and Europa League, but he may be forced to reverse his decision regarding the winger if, ultimately, his loan departure is not resolved in the coming hours. Rashford seems to be clear: he will only accept an offer from Barça.

Ansu Fati's future is key to resolving Rashford's arrival

In this regard, one operation could be decisive for resolving Marcus's arrival at the Blaugrana team. Barcelona is waiting for Ansu Fati's decision regarding his future, as the player from Bissau has offers from Portugal and Turkey to go on loan. In fact, the situation of the Barça '10' is very similar to that of the English forward, as Flick has also made it clear that if he stays, he will play little or not at all for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

The Catalans received a financial boost on Thursday thanks to the transfer of Unai Hernández, but they need to confirm a departure from the first-team squad to fit Rashford's salary into their wage margin. The club could also appeal to the absence of Andreas Christensen, whose injury last summer facilitated the registrations of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor. However, the Danish player's physical relapse this week does not seem so serious, so everything is in Ansu's hands regarding the possibility of closing a last-minute reinforcement.