Rashford at Barça, it’s validated

However, several elements must be met for the transaction to be concluded.

According to Sport, FC Barcelona has reached an agreement with Marcus Rashford for the player to be loaned for the second half of the season. According to reports, Rashford is determined to play for FC Barcelona and will wait until the final stages of the transfer market to attempt to do so, despite interest from Borussia Dortmund in a similar deal.

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The reason for the delay is once again the salary limit of FC Barcelona. The Catalans must free up space in their salary cap in order to absorb Rashford’s salary for the second half of the season, despite returning to the ‘1:1 rule’. The total amount that FC Barcelona must cover is 9 million euros, or half of his annual salary, although it should be noted that this amount could be reduced if FC Barcelona reach a compromise with Manchester United.

Barcelona were hoping that Aston Villa’s interest in Oscar Mingueza, for which they will receive 50% of his transfer fee, could earn them €10m, which would be enough to bring in Rashford. However, with the signing of Andres Garcia from Levante, this is now unlikely.

Another possibility would be the departure of Eric Garcia, who has been heavily linked with Girona. Barcelona’s Catalan neighbors are currently offering €7m plus €3m in variables for Garcia, which would be enough for Rashford’s transfer to go through – the Blaugrana would also save around €6m on Garcia’s salary. Ansu Fati is another who could leave, but he has so far proved reluctant and is unlikely to fetch much in terms of fee.

Apart from Fati, Pau Victor and Ferran Torres are Hansi Flick’s only other options in attack. Whether Rashford would be able to replace Raphinha or Robert Lewandowski in the forward line is another question to answer, and Rashford could be limited to an option off the bench. If Barcelona cannot raise the money quickly enough, Dortmund’s attempts to sign him could also tip the balance, with the German side a more reliable option at this stage.