Marcus Rashford’s future remains up in the air as his chances of a move from Manchester United to Barcelona fade, but the forward may have been given new hope after all.
Marcus Rashford may have new hopes for a permanent move to Barcelona (Image: Getty Images)
After all, Marcus Rashford may still get his wish of a permanent move to Barcelona, while Raphinha could be leaving the club. The Manchester United winger joined the Spanish team on loan last summer for a fee of £26 million with an option to make the move permanent.
Rashford, 28, scored 14 goals over the season, but it wasn’t enough for the Catalan giants to activate their now-expired option. Barcelona instead opted to sign Rashford’s England team-mate Anthony Gordon from Newcastle for £70 million.
Barring any changes, Rashford will likely return to Old Trafford for next season as soon as his World Cup appearance is over. However, he may have been given some belated hope by one of his former team-mates who has chosen to leave the Camp Nou.
According to GE Globo, Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal are interested in signing Brazilian winger Rafinha. The former Leeds man is reportedly open to talks with the club, although immediate talks are on hold until after the World Cup.
Rafinha had previously been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in 2024, but was persuaded to stay at Barcelona. Given that Al Hilal are likely to offer a significant fee for the 29-year-old, they may be persuaded by the money this time.
If he leaves, Barcelona could reconsider signing Rashford, but they would need to hold new negotiations with United over a transfer. In the meantime, the United star will discuss his future with the Red Devils bosses.
Rashford believes his long-term future remains away from Old Trafford despite a change of manager. United are hoping to receive around £40m in the event of a permanent sale and have rejected a second loan move.
Transfers from Manchester City and Liverpool, who had expressed interest in the past, have already been blocked, with Arsenal also set to make a move.
Rafinha is being watched by Saudi side Al Hilal (Image: Getty Images)
Elsewhere, Rafinha hit out last month during talks about his future. In an interview with ESPN he said: “Since my arrival at Barcelona, there has been speculation from the first day that I would be leaving the club.
“I don’t think people really like seeing me here, especially the media… There’s one guy who keeps telling lies.
“The[journalist]who wrote that article[about my possible departure]has also written other lies about me, such as that I met with the club, that I spoke to people inside and said that I was unsure, that I didn’t know whether to continue[at Barcelona].”
“That person only tells lies. Every time he posts a news story, he has to omit irrelevant things that come out of his mouth.”
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