Rashford ‘asks agent to halt’ transfer after ‘confident’ Barcelona submit new offer to Man Utd | OneFootball

Barcelona are ‘confident’ that Man Utd will accept their latest proposal for Marcus Rashford, according to reports, but the England international could now pull out of a deal.

The Catalan side took Rashford on a season-long loan deal in the summer with a buyout clause inserted to potentially make the deal permanent for €30m (£26m).

Rashford spent the second half of last season out on loan at Premier League side Aston Villa after falling out with Ruben Amorim, who was sacked by Man Utd in January.

There were rumours that Rashford could potentially return to Man Utd now that Amorim is gone but the England international is clear that he wants to remain at the Camp Nou.

Doubts have emerged in recent months over the affordability of a deal for Barcelona as they have other targets in mind for the summer too, despite Rashford willing to take a pay cut.

Barcelona have reportedly attempted renegotiate the fee down, while there has been speculation that the Catalans could attempt to include players in a summer transfer.

Journalist Ben Jacobs revealed earlier this week that Man Utd have received a proposal from Barcelona that would see Rashford move on loan for a second season.

Jacobs wrote on talkSPORT: ‘Manchester United sources have consistently insisted Barcelona must pay the €30m option to buy if they want to make Rashford’s move permanent.

‘United sources stress this is excellent value for money given it falls below Rashford’s market valuation. This position has also been directly communicated to Barcelona sporting director Deco.

‘Multiple club-to-club meetings have already taken place this year, starting in January.

‘These have been initiated by Barcelona to try and re-negotiate both the number and structure of the option to buy.

‘talkSPORT understands Deco has also proposed a second season-long loan as one option allowing Barcelona more time pay off the fee while still giving Manchester United the full valuation of the clause.’

And now the Daily Mail insist that Barcelona ‘are confident United will accept a second loan if there’s an obligatory buy clause with Barca paying part of the £26m fee at the end of this season and Rashford signing permanently in 2027.’

The report adds: ‘Barcelona want to keep Marcus Rashford beyond this season when his loan deal expires – but want him on loan again next term to avoid paying Manchester United £26million this summer.’

Rashford was an unused subsitute on Wednesday night as Barcelona tore Newcastle apart at the Camp Nou in a 7-2 demolition in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash.

And reports in Spain are now claiming that Rashford has ‘asked his agents to halt the deal’ as he ‘doesn’t feel important to the project’ at Barcelona.

The report adds: ‘The reality is that Barca was making progress in acquiring Marcus Rashford ‘s services. The club was considering exercising the purchase option included in his loan agreement, confident that the Englishman could be a key player in attack. Everything seemed to be on track until this latest development. The lack of playing time has created doubts for the player, who now isn’t so sure he fits into Flick’s project .

‘Furthermore, Rashford understands that his current situation doesn’t match the profile of player Barça was looking for. He arrived with the expectation of playing a significant role in the team, but the reality he’s experiencing is very different, as he sees himself as a mere substitute with no chance of competing for a place in the starting eleven.’