“Not a priority”: Barcelona chief reveals club’s attitude to Marcus Rashford in January | OneFootball

Barcelona sporting director Deco has revealed Marcus Rashford was “not a priority” after the Manchester United forward was linked with a loan move to Camp Nou in the January transfer window.

As relayed by Fabrizio Romano, the Barca chief confirmed reports the Catalan club were interested in the 27-year-old as “true” but insists they were not “desperately looking for a signing.”

Tweet: “Barça director Deco: “It’s true, we were talking about Marcus Rashford and it was a possible signing… but he couldn’t come. We weren’t desperately looking for a signing. He was not a priority”.

Reports relayed by The Peoples Person in January revealed Rashford “dreams” of a move to the Spanish giant and was willing to take a pay cut to help facilitate a loan.

However, a deal between Barcelona and United never came close with the Red Devils instead pivoting in the final days of the winter window to strike an agreement with Premier League rival Aston Villa.

Deco reveals Rashford was “not a priority”, despite being a “possible signing”. He also references the fact Rashford “couldn’t come”, suggesting there was a reason why the move never progressed beyond initial negotiations.

And it’s extremely likely that it’s the 27-year-old’s exorbitant wage packet at Old Trafford – believed to be in excess of £325,000 a week in a Champions League year.

Villa have agreed to match 75% of these wages, with performance bonuses potentially bringing this up to 90%. A £40 million buy-option has also been included in the deal – a fair price for a player who turns 28 this year and has demonstrated dismal form for more than eighteen months.

A different report also indicated Rashford was unwilling to take a hit on his wages, despite Old Trafford officials asking him to do so. While this is entirely the forward’s prerogative, it does call into question how much of a “dream” the Camp Nou was if it would have required a pay cut do facilitate, considering he’s ended up at Villa Park on his full pay packet.

Villains’ manager Unai Emery was pivotal to the Birmingham club’s decision to target Rashford, believing the Carrington graduate still has the potential to be one of the “best in world football” if he can rediscover his form from previous season.

The Spaniard is convinced he will be able to help Rashford “exploit” his talents and push Villa on to success for the remainder of the season.

If the 27-year-old does recapture his scintillating form from the 2022/23 season, a £40 million fee will prove a bargain for the Midlands club. However, Rashford may still retain aspirations for Europe’s elite with his comments at his Villa Park unveiling – “Obviously it’s only short-term I’m here” – fuelling reports he will look for a bigger club come the summer.

Whether the Englishman would become a “priority” for Barcelona in this scenario remains to be seen, however.

Featured image Clive Mason via Getty Images

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