Marcus Rashford makes final transfer decision as private Barcelona talks emerge
Marcus Rashford is said to have partnered with super-agent Pini Zahavi as well as indicating a willingness to lower his salary demands in order to help facilitate a move to Barcelona.
The England star, 27, is expected to leave Manchester United permanently this summer and the Nou Camp is his dream destination. Crucially, Rashford has managed to boost his stock during the second half of the season after joining Aston Villa on loan but interest in his services from Barca is longstanding.
While Rashford ending up staying in the Premier League, there have been numerous reports outlining his desire to join the Spanish giants should he leave Old Trafford for good.
And a new report from Mundo Deportivo has claimed that Rashford is now being represented by Zahavi; an agent with close ties to Barcelona who also represents their manager, Hansi Flick, and Robert Lewandowski.
It's claimed that the main reason for the move on Rashford's end is due to the fact that Zahavi has strong links to Barca, who do have a void to fill in the left-hand side of their front three with Ansu Fati failing to make an impression on Flick.
Zahavi is believed to have a strong relationship with the club's president, Joan Laporta, and it's claimed that talks over a loan move this summer have already taken place.
The news will come as a blow to Aston Villa, who negotiated a £40million option to purchase Rashford permanently as part of the deal that saw him move to Villa Park in the winter transfer window.
He has four goals and six assists to his name in a Villa shirt but is expected to miss the remainder of the season through injury.
United's preference would be to sell their homegrown star, who was dropped by Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese coach is aiming to reshape his playing squad this summer and any transfer fees that can be raised from offloading unwanted stars - such as Rashford and Antony, who has also enjoyed a renaissance away from Old Trafford - would be welcomed by the club.
It remains to be seen if Barcelona would be able to meet Manchester United's demands to finance a permanent deal given their cash woes in recent years, while the former may be reluctant to sanction another temporary move for Rashford.
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