Marcus Rashford has spent the season on loan at Barcelona. (Image: Getty Images)
Barcelona will not face any financial sanctions if they decide not to make Marcus Rashford’s transfer permanent, it has emerged. The England star is halfway through his season-long loan spell at the Catalan giants from Manchester United and has delivered impressive performances since joining.
He has found the net 10 times and registered 13 assists across all competitions, with Barcelona sitting top of La Liga, holding just a single-point advantage over Real Madrid. The 28-year-old has already made clear his desire to stay at the Nou Camp permanently, with a summer return to Old Trafford seeming improbable.
The Spanish side possesses a £26million clause to secure the move on a permanent footing, as sporting director Deco explained the conditions of his temporary spell. In conversation with SPORT, the former Chelsea and Portugal midfielder was asked whether Barcelona would face a penalty if they didn’t purchase Rashford outright.
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He revealed: “No, it’s a loan, and we have an option.”
When pressed on whether they plan to retain Rashford permanently, Deco replied: “Yes, definitely. I think it wasn’t easy to come here. He has played at a very high level, with enormous demands at a club like Manchester United.
“Then he spent six months at Aston Villa, where he did a very good job. In fact, Aston Villa, they would have kept him if it had been possible. I know this because I’ve spoken to people there. But he only wanted to come to Barca, and that’s a very positive thing.
“We were able to secure a loan. The fact that he took a pay cut to make it happen is a clear demonstration that he really wanted to come, and we’re very happy about that.
Hansi Flick head coach of Barcelona gives instructions to Marcus Rashford. (Image: Getty Images)
“He’s a player who contributes a lot to the team.”
With Robert Lewandowski’s future up in the air, Deco proceeded to discuss the type of forward he’ll be on the lookout for this summer. “We shouldn’t get obsessed with any particular striker because the team is doing well,” Deco added.
“We have Ferran [Torres] and Rashford; we’ll see what we can do to make decisions. If we’re talking about the best striker, the best number 9 of the last ten years, it has been Robert [Lewandowski].
“There’s no one like him. It’s not easy to go to the market and look for someone like Robert because teams tend to favour other profiles. Perhaps Bayern Munich has a more traditional, target-figure striker. “We have Ferran [Torres] and Rashford; we’ll see what we can do to make decisions.
“If we’re talking about the best striker, the best number 9 of the last ten years, it has been Robert [Lewandowski]. They prefer a striker with more mobility. There’s no one with Robert’s quality and his stats. Barca needs to look for players with technical ability, the capacity to link up with team-mates, and the ability to find solutions.”
Rashford’s absence proved costly during Barcelona’s devastating 4-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the opening leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday. The forward was ruled out of the fixture after sustaining a knee problem in their 3-0 win against Mallorca on Saturday, the club confirmed in a statement.
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