Marcus Rashford’s hopes of staying at Barcelona now hang on one thing: the club’s pursuit of Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez.
According to RAC1, if Barcelona succeed in signing the Argentine this summer, their interest in the Manchester United forward is off.
It is a sharp shift for a player who shone on loan at the Camp Nou. United are keen to sell. There had been optimism, too, that Barcelona would simply trigger the reported €30m (£26m) option to buy.
Marcus Rashford Barca future in doubt amid Alvarez chase
Instead, the La Liga champions appear to be reshaping their attack around other names.
The first is Anthony Gordon. Barcelona have agreed a deal worth around £69m for the Newcastle winger. Crucially, he plays the same left-sided role as Rashford.
A striker is also needed, with Robert Lewandowski leaving as a free agent, and that is where Álvarez comes in.
Marcus Rashford is out of Barcelona’s plans, and there is no intention to keep him beyond this season unless they fail to sign a striker to replace Lewandowski.
Barcelona generally see Anthony Gordon as a better fit than Rashford, especially in terms of pressing and defensive… pic.twitter.com/Gss5KuxEih
RAC1 reports Barça are willing to spend up to €100m on the Argentine. He is said to dream of a move to Catalonia and has told Atlético he wants to leave.
The maths is unforgiving. Should both Gordon and Álvarez arrive, Barcelona’s forward line becomes crowded. RAC1 suggests Rashford would be the man to miss out.
That said, the picture is not unanimous. Sky Sports News understands the Gordon deal changes nothing for Rashford.
Every option, it says, remains open. Barcelona hold until June 15 to activate their buy option. United, meanwhile, are standing firm on their valuation.
They are confident they can sell him elsewhere if no deal is struck, especially if he shines at this summer’s World Cup.
For now, Rashford’s Barcelona future rests less on his own form than on whether the club can land their preferred No. 9.
