Marcus Rashford ‘wants to join Barcelona’ amid ‘£100m’ transfer bombshell
Marcus Rashford wants to join Barcelona this month as his departure from Man United nears, according to the club’s former chief scout.
Mick Brown, who spent over a decade at Old Trafford during the club’s most successful period and remains very well-connected there, exclusively told Football Insider that the forward’s preference is to make the move to the Spanish giants.
Brown previously told Football Insider that the 27-year-old is more likely to move abroad rather than remain in the Premier League, despite interest from West Ham.
Rashford needs to move away from the spotlight of English football where every mistake he makes on or off the pitch is closely scrutinised by fans and the media.
As a result, he has always leant in favour of a move abroad, with the likes of Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan plotting late-window moves.
However, interest from both of those clubs is thought to have faded as Barcelona have emerged as the new front-runners to complete a deal before 3 February.
Marcus Rashford makes Man United transfer decision
As far as Barcelona are concerned, there is a feeling they would need to sell a player to ease their wage cap concerns before they could land Rashford’s £350,000 weekly wage.
Finance expert Stefan Borson has told Football Insider that interested buyers would need to pay an extraordinary “£100m” in fee and wages to agree a Rashford deal.
Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment and also worked for the likes of Tottenham and Aston Villa, insisted the move should happen before the window closes, but it could be taken out of the hands of the Man United man.
“He wants to join Barcelona,” he told Football Insider.
“So if that was offered to him, he’d snap their hand off for it.
“I’m not sure Barcelona are in the best position financially to cover his wages, so that might end up being a problem for them.
“But it’s certainly a move he wants to make.
“I said before, the move abroad suits him best because it would take him out of the spotlight that’s always on you from the fans and the media.
“If the Dortmund interest has cooled, I think Barcelona is one that would suit him, so we’ll have to wait and see before the end of the window.”
In other news, significant update on Kobbie Mainoo future today.
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