Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is reportedly on the verge of joining Barcelona on season-long loan deal.
The 27-year-old England star spent the latter half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, where he scored four goals, but they chose not to sign him permanently.
He is one of five United players being forced to train away from the rest of the first-team squad at Carrington in pre-season, and has lost his No.10 shirt to new £62.5million signing Matheus Cunha.
Barcelona have been favourites to sign Rashford after holding talks with his representative and older brother Dwaine Maynard.
As reported by The Athletic, the forward is now set to join the Catalans on loan with an option to buy, with the move approved by United.
Manager Hansi Flick has spoken to Rashford and given the green light for the transfer, believing he suits Barcelona’s style of play and makes sense financially.
Bringing in Rashford on an initial loan deal would ease the financial burden on the LaLiga side as they continue to grapple with ongoing money troubles.
Barcelona have been targeting a versatile forward capable of playing both out wide and through the middle – making Rashford an appealing option.
Strengthening the left wing has been a key priority, with the club feeling short of cover in that area during the latter stages of last season.
Flick’s side appeared close to signing Nico Williams earlier this summer – but he opted to sign a new long term deal at Athletic Club.
Rashford still has three years left on his £300,000-per-week deal at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim first dropped him for the Manchester derby in December, a game which United won 2-1, and the forward failed to feature again before he joined Villa on deadline day.
Shortly after he was first excluded by Amorim, Rashford, who has played 426 times for United, dropped the bombshell that he was ready for a ‘new challenge’.
‘For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps,’ he told Henry Winter in an interview.
‘When I leave it’s going to be “no hard feelings”. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.
‘If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse. I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person. When I leave I’ll make a statement and it will be from me.’
When asked if he would always be a Red at heart, Rashford – who has been at the club from the age of seven and who made his debut in 2016 – replied: ‘Yes! 100 per cent. 100 per cent.’
