Romano confirms dream Rashford transfer that stings Man Utd is ON

The one club Marcus Rashford wants to join above all others ARE interested in signing the forward, though why that’s bad news for Manchester United has been revealed.

Rashford does not have a future back at Man Utd even if Aston Villa don’t take up their option to buy. That option is set at £40m and Unai Emery’s side are interested, though whether they bite the bullet is expected to depend on securing Champions League qualification. Fifth position will be good enough to sneak in, but Villa currently sit seventh with just three matches remaining.

Rashford has thrived at Villa Park during his loan spell, notching four goals and six assists in 17 appearances. Prior to sustaining a hamstring injury he even got the nod to start ahead of Ollie Watkins in each of Villa’s Champions League quarter-final clashes with PSG.

However, TEAMtalk has consistently reported Rashford’s preferred outcome when leaving Man Utd via the loan route in January was joining Barcelona.

Sources continue to tell us Rashford still has his heart set on joining the Spanish giants. The i paper subsequently labelled a move to Catalonia Rashford’s ‘dream’ scenario in late-April.

And according to the latest from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Rashford’s dream can come true with Barcelona more than interested in striking a deal.

“Internally at Barcelona they still believe that Marcus Rashford could be an option for the summer transfer window,” said Romano on his YouTube channel.

“They believe at Barcelona that Rashford might be available on the market. They believe at Barcelona that Rashford could be a good solution because he can play as a No 9 and play on the wing, so he can help in several positions.

“He’s a player appreciated by those at Barcelona. They already wanted Rashford in January, it didn’t happen because Ansu Fati didn’t leave and so in terms of FFP it was not possible to balance the deal.

“But Marcus Rashford remains in the list of Barcelona and so if Rashford is not staying at Aston Villa we will see what happens. He’s one of the options under consideration at Barcelona.

“Then it will depend on FFP, on deal conditions, on more clubs being keen on the player and on what he decides to do.

“We will see on Rashford’s side, but on club side one of the names being mentioned internally [at Barcelona] is for sure Marcus Rashford.”

But while a fresh chapter in Spain would be ideal for Rashford, it is not a turn of events that would benefit Man Utd…

Barcelona a dream for Rashford and nightmare for Man Utd

TEAMtalk has been informed that in lieu of Rashford’s sparkling form with Aston Villa, Man Utd will demand £50m on the open market if selling the forward.

That is £10m higher than the figure Villa’s option to buy is set at and is reflective of Rashford’s revival over the past four months.

However, the i paper claimed that not only are Barcelona unwilling – and unable – to pay £50m for Rashford, they’re not even capable of paying £40m either.

As such, Man Utd are likely to receive discounted bids if Barcelona do act on their interest. And if Barcelona are actively pursuing the player, Rashford could refuse to sign for other suitors in the hopes Man Utd will eventually soften their stance and accept a cut-rate offer.

That poses a problem for United who are banking on a lucrative Rashford sale to help fund a much-anticipated squad rebuild.

Rashford is one of the most highly-valued stars the club are open to selling and as a homegrown player, the proceeds from his sale would be logged as ‘pure profit’ on the books.

Latest Man Utd news – Cunha clarification / Scholes fears transfer blunder

In other news, Man Utd remain on course to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolves despite the lack of updates of late.

United fully intend to trigger Cunha’s £62.5m release clause, though cannot do so until it becomes active at season’s end. As such, the deal is on standby for the time being which has alerted Arsenal to the possibility of a hijack.

Their sporting director, Andrea Berta, has scheduled a meeting with Cunha’s camp to discuss a move to Arsenal instead.

But thankfully for Man Utd, the expectation is a switch to The Emirates is not on the cards. Cunha has already partially approved a move to United and agreeing personal terms should not be an issue.

Crucially, Cunha is also open to joining Man Utd regardless of whether they qualify for the Champions League or not.

If Man Utd beat Tottenham in the final of the Europa League they’ll secure entry into next year’s UCL. Defeat in Bilbao will resign United to a campaign without any form of European football.

Elsewhere, Paul Scholes fears Man Utd will sell a player Cunha’s arrival could force out – Alejandro Garnacho.

In Scholes’ mind, United selling Garnacho would be a grave mistake, with the Argentina international capable of scoring “25-30 goals” per season, according to the United legend.

“He’s perfect in a regular 4-3-3,” began Scholes. “He will be a real threat. He needs to tidy up his decision-making and finishing, sometimes his final ball is a bit rash but he’s a young player so that’s to be expected.

“I fear we will sell him for £50-£60m for PSR reasons. It’s been rumoured, hasn’t it? I fear he will end up scoring 25 to 30 goals for somebody else, that’s how good I think this lad can be.

“Shoehorning him into this system might be tricky, I’m struggling to find a position for him in Ruben Amorim’s system. I don’t want them to sell him, I hate the thought of that, but I think they could do. I wouldn’t like it. He frustrates me but he’s often the biggest threat for Manchester United.”

The latest on Man Utd’s stance on selling Garnacho can be found here.

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