Manchester United are navigating a summer rebuild, and Marcus Rashford’s future is closely tied to plans for a new exciting attacker.
This week’s focus has been on Rashford’s proposed move to Barcelona, amid reported suggestions that the Spanish club have missed the deadline to activate his €30 million option to buy.
Some sources continue to insist the deadline does not expire until the end of the season, but other complications could still come into play.
Barcelona are still assessing their squad priorities and have their eyes on other areas of the pitch for significant investment. And that could impact on their desire to pay the full-price for Rashford.
Any hesitation will create uncertainty for United, who have shown no plans to reintegrate the England international.
The structure of any Rashford departure is important, as United would want the full cash payment. But Barcelona know that the player wants to join them, and that the Red Devils do not want him back, so they believe they are in a strong position to negotiate.
United are not helped by the fact that structural payment issues could affect deals for some of their top attacking targets. They ideally want a new wide player – especially if Rashford is finally off the books.
RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande is among the options being considered, but he is valued at around €100 million, and sources state that figure would be out of reach.
United would hope to see the valuation drop – and are also going to need to know whether Leipzig would be open to flexible payment terms on the 19-year-old.
Champions League qualification is expected to increase United’s overall transfer budget – but midfield reinforcements remain the priority and Unitd will have to show some caution.
Diomande is attracting growing interest in England, as Tottenham monitored him earlier in the season. Liverpool are now seen as United’s strongest Premier League contenders, with the winger identified as a potential long-term successor to Mohamed Salah.
His rise has been rapid as, two years ago, Diomande was playing in the Florida Central Premier Division with DME Academy in the United States. A move to Leganes followed, before RB Leipzig triggered a €20 million release clause.
Initially signed as a development player, he has progressed faster than expected and Leipzig know they have a special talent on their hands.
