Barcelona are reluctant to pay £26 million for the England international attacker, but Man United feel that price is too low and a surprise settlement after the end of the season cannot be ruled out.
Barcelona are thought to be reluctant to pay Marcus Rashford’s £26m buyout clause (Image: Judit Cartiel, Getty Images)
Many believe Michael Carrick is extremely lucky to be in charge of Manchester United, given that he has not previously held a permanent manager’s role in the Premier League. Not only will he remain manager of Manchester United until the end of the season, but the long-term job is increasingly looking to be his.
If that happens, those same observers would probably think Carrick should be grateful for the opportunity. And they would be right, but only up to a point.
If Carrick has a whirlwind end to the season and easily qualifies for the Champions League, he will not only be in a great position to seal his role, but will also be in a better negotiating position. Not only in terms of remuneration and contract period, but also in terms of enforcement.
read more: With millions of dollars wasted, Manchester United agree to pay an astonishing sum for an unwanted playerread more: Manchester United News: Michael Carrick ‘concerned’ as Red Devils locked in Barcelona transfer battle
Who will decide the tactics? When it comes to recruitment? Regarding the sale of players?Looking back at the fall of coach Ruben Amorim, will he become the manager? Or the head coach? Will he take orders from Jason Wilcox?
Admittedly, this feels like a long way off, but it has to do with the situation unfolding at Barcelona and the future of Marcus Rashford. Reliable reports claim that Barcelona will try to negotiate and reduce the £26m buy-option fee.
From United’s perspective, not only do they not support lowering the purchase option fee, they also think it was a mistake to set it so low. On the face of it, United may be right if they think £26m is too low.
Michael Carrick may well be in a better position when it comes to negotiating a long-term contract (Image: Getty Images)
Rashford has the potential to be a World Cup star and, at 28, should be in his prime. He plays for one of the world’s elite club teams (and is owned by another) and has a contract at Old Trafford until the summer of 2028. Of course, the player’s acquisition rate in that scenario would be in excess of £26m. much higher.
United paid £60 million for the 30-year-old Casemiro, although the positions are different, of course. Whatever you think of Rashford, £26m is a bargain. This is not the case for Barça.
Ruben Amorim has reportedly been at loggerheads with Manchester United bosses over his job description (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
If all Rashford wants is to play for them, why would they get into some kind of price war…with themselves? Why don’t they try their luck?
If United want to let Rashford go and Barça is the only place he wants to go, the Catalan club would be in a strong position. Moreover, although he has performed well there, he is not an automatic starter, so Barça may still consider his permanent inclusion a bit of a gamble.
Jason Wilcox falls out with Amorim (Image: Getty Images)
All of this is of little interest to Carrick at the moment. But that will be the case if he gets a long-term job. A motivated Rashford may certainly appeal to Carrick, but whether Carrick’s United will appeal to Rashford is another question.
But this is a conversation worth having, especially if Barcelona are trying to play low with buyout numbers. And if United truly believe Rashford is worth much more than his £26m buyout price, then it would be worth asking Carrick if he would like to keep him.
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