Rashford ‘deadline’ revealed after Barcelona strike Gordon deal as shock £43m Man Utd swap proposed | OneFootball

Barcelona have until June 15 to trigger Marcus Rashford’s €30m buy option as the Catalans prepare for another round of talks with Manchester United despite nearing a £70m deal for Anthony Gordon.

Rashford got 14 goals and 14 assists in loan at Barcelona this season but the Catalans aren’t willing to pay the fee on the table to make his deal permanent.

Manager Hansi Flick has been urging the Barcelona chiefs to get the deal over the line but as reported by The Athletic, the decision-makers at the Nou Camp amid that the imminent arrival of Gordon from Newcastle makes the chances of Rashford staying at the club “more complicated”.

Gordon had already reached a broad agreement with Bayern Munich but Barcelona have swooped to agree a £70m deal with Newcastle, with add-ons set to take the total package to £80m.

Fabrizio Romano revealed overnight that Gordon ‘will land in Barcelona right after lunch today’ and ‘medical tests are to follow this afternoon’.

That can’t be good news for Rashford as both operate on the left wing, and although they have also each played down the middle on occasion, reports suggest that Barcelona will still be looking to sign a striker to replace Robert Lewandowski.

The Athletic claim that ‘sources close to Rashford maintain that no decision has been communicated to them, and they still see a chance of remaining at the club next season alongside Gordon’s arrival’.

But while Flick remains keen on retaining Rashford ‘other decision-makers in the club have more doubts’ and they don’t have long to take up their €30m option, with Manchester United setting a deadline of June 15 for the deal to be triggered.

Man Utd and Barcelona are set to hold talks over Rashford this week, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

The talkSPORT journalist wrote on X: “Barcelona set for talks this week with Manchester United to try and agree a deal for Marcus Rashford.

“Rashford has terms in place and is waiting for a club-to-club solution.

“#MUFC have consistently told Barcelona to pay the €30m clause.”

Manchester United have no desire to bring Rashford back into the fold under Michael Carrick, meaning the INEOS chiefs will need to find an alternative suitor if they fail to strike a deal with Barcelona.

A Rashford swap?

And after Gazzetta dello Sport revealed earlier this week that United are one of two main clubs, along with Fenerbahce, vying to sign AC Milan star Rafael Leao, a swap deal has been proposed.

The Rossoneri previously valued the ‘superstar’ winger at above €100m (£86m) but they are now open to sell him for just €50m (£43m).

And former United centre-back Jaap Stam believes the 26-year-old could be a good swap option for United.

Speaking to ComeOn, the Dutchman said: “Maybe a swap between Rafael Leao and Marcus Rashford could work. Leao is also a good player.

“He has shown his potential at Milan, of course, in what he can do. I think he is a player that should be on the list of targets for Man Utd. Having said that, you need to have a look not only at the skill of a player, but also at the mentality of players.

“You need to consider the situation where the club is, what player they are bringing in that is going to help the club going forward, so that you don’t get any irritations from players who are not being picked to start.”