Man United in new Marcus Rashford talks as Barcelona go cool on deal
Manchester United are set for further talks with Barcelona about Marcus Rashford as the Catalan giants remain keen to renegotiate and sign him permanently for a lower fee.
Barcelona are unwilling to exercise the option to sign Rashford for £26million despite his strong season at the Camp Nou.
He does not have a future at Man United, however, and so a permanent move to Barca is still on the cards if the clubs can come to an agreement.
Hansi Flick wants him to stay, and as I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Transfer Insider podcast, Barcelona’s chiefs are planning to hold talks about a permanent move with United soon.
Man United’s transfer plans are set to accelerate after Michael Carrick was hired as their new permanent boss, but Rashford is not in his thoughts as it stands.
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VISIT THE TRANSFER HUBBarcelona are still planning to hold Marcus Rashford talks with Man United
The deadline for Barca to exercise Rashford’s £26m buy clause is 15 June, but they believe that fee is too high, even though he has registered 15 goal contributions in 31 league matches this season.
La Liga’s reigning champions know they need to accelerate talks over a new permanent deal with United before other clubs come in for Rashford, with rivals Real Madrid the latest club to be linked.
| Appearances | 31 |
| Minutes played | 1671′ |
| Goals | 8 |
| Assists | 7 |
| Shots | 76 |
| Chances created | 42 |
| Successful dribbles | 29 |
| Touches in opposition box | 133 |
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: “There is a purchase option in there for around 26 million, which Barca don’t really want to meet.
“They want to renegotiate and see if they can possibly get him on loan again or get that fee lower so that they can sign him on a permanent.
“But look, Rashford has really enjoyed his time at Barcelona. His priority, I think, will be to make that move permanent and stay at the Camp Nou.
“He’s really impressed Hansi Flick as well, and he has admitted that he would like to see Rashford stay at the club.”
Joshua Zirkzee set for Man United exit as Serie A switch mooted
Several United players are facing uncertain futures ahead of the summer, with Zirkzee one of those, even though he was kept on by Ruben Amorim last summer.
The Netherlands forward has started just five league games this season, with two goals in 25 appearances across all competitions.
Sources have exclusively revealed to Football Insider that Zirkzee is likely to move to Serie A this summer as he nears a departure from Old Trafford.
Several Italian clubs are believed to be interested in his services after he previously impressed for Bologna before moving to United.
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