Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford has already agreed personal terms with Barcelona ahead of a permanent move this summer.
Sport reports that Barcelona have reached an agreement on the forward’s salary but are now seeking ore favourable terms with Manchester United.
Barcelona working on agreement
The newspaper explains that Barcelona are working hard to retain Marcus Rashford when his loan deal from Manchester United expires at the end of the season.
That’s come after Barcelona manager Hansi Flick requested that the 28-year-old be kept as part of the project. The Catalan club had practically ruled out a deal due to his price, but alternative options have not convinced Flick.
Rashford has played his part, making it clear that he’s willing to make it easier to fit his ‘multimillion-Euro’ salary within Barcelona’s wage cap.
A longer contract will be agreed upon, and the Englishman is willing to share payments and forgo part of his salary. Now Barcelona want to avoid paying the €30m purchase clause they agreed with Manchester United last summer.
Manchester United hold firm
Manchester United, for their part, have been very firm in initial talks. They’re refusing to accept either a reduced transfer fee or an extension of the loan deal.
They have also argued that the current €30m price is lower than Marcus Rashford’s value. They’ve even already agreed to a flexible payment plan to be paid over three years. Barcelona want a price reduction, but it’s unlikely United will accept.
Their main problem, though, is Rashford. He’s blocking any negotiations, doesn’t want to return to Old Trafford and won’t accept any other offers either.
That leaves Manchester United in a ‘real predicament’. Sport argue that the two clubs are destined to reach an agreement, but they need to find a deal that satisfies both parties.
Barcelona would like another loan with a new, reduced mandatory purchase option. Rashford would only have a year left on his deal at Manchester United at that point. But they also want to save on Rashford’s wages for another season.
In other words, they want their cake, then they want to eat it. After that, they want another cake, and then they want to eat that one too.
