Manchester United (Man U) is pushing for the summer transfer of Marcus Rashford (28). Rashford is also preparing to negotiate with Barcelona.

The British 'Mirror' reported on the 29th (Korean time) that Rashford's agent recently met with Deco, the Director General of Barcelona, at a hotel in the local area.

Barcelona is currently said to prefer acquiring Luis Díaz (28, Liverpool). Díaz's father has previously noted, "My son's dream is to transfer to Barcelona."

However, Liverpool does not want to part with Díaz. Díaz has also expressed satisfaction with Liverpool after recently confirming the Premier League title and shown his willingness to remain.

Ultimately, considering the financial situation of Barcelona and contractual issues, Rashford has emerged as a more realistic alternative for Barcelona than Díaz.

Rashford was loaned to Aston Villa after being classified as surplus under Director Rubén Amorim in January. He made a total of 17 appearances at Villa, scoring 4 goals and providing 6 assists, which served as a catalyst for his resurgence.

Nevertheless, Man U has prioritized selling loan players including Rashford, Jadon Sancho (25, Chelsea), and Antony (25, Real Betis). Rashford's transfer fee has been set at £40 million (approximately 74.2 billion won).

The issue is his weekly wage. Rashford is contracted with Man U until 2028. He currently receives a weekly wage of £350,000 (approximately 650 million won), which poses a burden for Barcelona or other clubs. Ultimately, Barcelona is considering a plan to first loan Rashford and then proceed with a full transfer.

Director General Deco recently noted in a radio interview, "Both Luis Díaz and Rashford are excellent players, but it's difficult to speak publicly about players contracted with other clubs," adding, "We are thinking about how we can improve the team."

In fact, after recently confirming the La Liga title, Barcelona is focused on re-signing key players. They have completed re-signings with core wingers such as Lamine Yamal (18) and Raphinha (29). Now, they are set to begin negotiations for contract extensions with Frenkie de Jong and Eric García.

Director General Deco emphasized, "Maintaining the core of the team is the priority, and then comes strengthening the squad," adding, "Acquiring players will be considered only after we understand what type we need."

Ultimately, whether Rashford's transfer to Barcelona will be realized depends on Man U's flexibility in the transfer fee, the possibility of sharing his wages, and Barcelona's financial situation.

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