Man United consider Rashford swap deal with Barca's Ansu Fati in January

Marcus Rashford was left out of Ruben Amorim's squad for a third time on Sunday as Man United suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. The 27-year-old was also ruled out for the derby victory at Manchester City earlier in December and Thursday's Carabao Cup quarter-final loss by Spurs. Two days before the clash against Tottenham, Rashford said in an interview that he was "ready for a new challenge and the next steps" of a career that began in the Red Devils' academy. 

"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," he told Henry Winter last Tuesday.

Rashford's comments heavily implied that his time at Man United could be coming to an end shortly, prompting transfer talk as to where his next move could be. The English forward has been linked to Paris Saint-Germain, with Premier League interest reportedly also looming for the United star, but Barcelona have recently emerged as possible candidates in recent hours, as per 'Football365' and 'TEAM Talk'.

The 'Cules' are said to be working on a swap deal for the January transfer window that would involve the Englishman arriving in Catalunya and Ansu Fati going to the opposite end. Reports from Spain inform that Barca manager Hansi Flick has given his green light for the move, believing that the Man United product could bring more versatility and effectiveness to the squad. 

The deal would also be ideal for United as it is understood that they are not keen on strengthening any of their Premier League rivals by offloading Rashford. The move could also be an opportunity for Ansu Fati to revive his career elsewhere after failing to make his mark under the German boss. Fati has a brief experience in playing in the English top flight as he spent a year on loan at Brighton last season. That said, Barcelona's financial constraints mean that the transfer would only be possible via a swap deal.

 

December 23, 2024