Romano rubbishes Rashford to Barcelona transfer claim as Man Utd send message | OneFootball

Fabrizio Romano has rubbished reports that Barcelona’s buyout clause to buy Marcus Rashford from Man Utd expired in March.

The Red Devils allowed Rashford to leave for the Catalan giants in the summer on a season-long loan deal with Barcelona inserting a €30m buyout clause in the deal.

Rashford had already spent the previous six months on loan at Premier League rivals Aston Villa after falling out with then Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim.

There have been rumours in recent months that Barcelona are attempting to renegotiate a deal as they want to save money on the Rashford deal and use it elsewhere in their summer squad build.

And a report on Wednesday insisted that the La Liga side’s chance to buy Rashford at the agreed €30m had expired in March – but Romano insists that information is false.

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “The report saying the €30 million buy option from Manchester United to Barcelona expired yesterday, at the end of March, is not what my sources are saying.

“Sources at both clubs suggest that the €30 million option is still valid until the end of the current season. So if Barcelona want to pay that amount tomorrow, they can still sign Marcus Rashford.

“Now it is up to Barcelona to decide. Behind the scenes, they already have an agreement with Rashford on personal terms, with the player, his camp, and his brother handling things. But Barcelona want to restructure the deal with Manchester United. Why? Because financially, it is going to be a big summer for Barca.

“They have several important targets. For example, at centre-back, there is Alessandro Bastoni. Barcelona want him, they are in contact with his camp, and discussions on salary and personal terms have already started. But club-to-club talks have not begun yet, and Inter are not communicating a price. They only make clear that €50 million will not be enough.

“Then there is the striker situation. We mentioned Lewandowski. We know that for Barcelona, and for president Joan Laporta, Julian Alvarez remains a dream target. But Atletico Madrid absolutely do not want to sell him this summer. So at the moment, Atletico are not making it easy for anyone.

“That is why Barcelona would prefer to restructure the Rashford deal rather than pay the full €30 million. Maybe another loan, maybe a different formula. The message from Manchester United is simple: they want the money. They do not want another loan. So that is the gap between the two clubs at the moment.

“Rashford, meanwhile, is very happy at Barcelona. He is appreciated a lot by Hansi Flick, not just for goals and assists, but for his versatility and professionalism. He has never caused any problems when benched or subbed off, and that is very much appreciated by the coach. But again, the key point is the financial agreement.”