Marcus Rashford returning to Manchester United after Aston Villa exit — still hopes for Barcelona move | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are looking to strengthen their attack by adding a new left winger to their team in the upcoming summer transfer window. For this purpose, they are being closely linked with the Athletic Club winger Nico Williams.

The Catalans have seemingly reached a personal agreement with the Spaniard, and despite some recent roadblocks, this operation to bring him to Spotify Camp Nou is expected to be completed in the coming few days.

However, Nico was not the only candidate the Blaugranes were considering to reinforce their attack a few weeks ago. They were also strongly linked with the Liverpool forward Luis Diaz, who was previously the club’s favorite candidate, but who has now been overtaken by Nico.

Aston Villa confirm the departure of Marcus Rashford

Meanwhile, the Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford was also linked with Barcelona. The €50 million-rated Englishman spent the second half of the last season on loan at the Premier League side Aston Villa, where he was quite impressive.

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, the English side has now confirmed that they will not take advantage of the €40 million purchase option they had on the player, and thus, the forward will now return to Manchester United.

In his 17 appearances with the Villans, the English star scored 4 goals and provided 6 assists. However, Unai Emery’s side now seems to be looking for a revamp, as they have also decided not to sign other loanees, like Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi, while also not renewing the contracts of Robin Olsen and Kortney House.

Not a priority for Barcelona

Although Rashford will now have to return to Manchester United, Ruben Amorim is not counting on him for the next season, and the Red Devils will be looking for his departure again this summer.

The player’s desire is to play for Barcelona, especially to team up with Lamine Yamal, something he revealed in a recent interview, but he is also not a priority for the Blaugrana club at the moment.