Rashford arrives at Barcelona: Loan with Option to Buy from United

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Barcelona has finalized the incorporation of Marcus Rashford, forward for Manchester United and the England national team, through a one-season loan, as confirmed by the Catalan club. The agreement includes a purchase option for next summer, with reports suggesting a price set at around 30 million euros (34.9 million dollars), although neither club has confirmed the amount. Rashford, 27 years old, traveled to Barcelona on Sunday to complete the transfer before the LaLiga champions embarked on their pre-season tour this week. The team led by Hansi Flick will travel to Asia on Thursday, where they will play friendlies in Japan and South Korea, facing Vissel Kobe, Daegu and FC Seoul, where Rashford’s former United teammate, Jesse Lingard, plays. The interest of Barça in Rashford dates back to January, and his name remained on the list this summer, as they prioritized the signing of a new left winger, according to sporting director Deco. Nico Williams and Luis Díaz were also targets, but the Catalan club focused on Rashford.

Marcus Rashford ha completado su cesión al Barcelona.
Flick was interested in having the deal finalized in time for the tour, to give Rashford time to adapt, while from the club’s point of view it was also the most affordable option. Rashford joins an attack that already includes Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo, as Flick looks to build on the success of last season. The Barça won LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup in the first season of the German coach, but lost to Inter Milan in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Rashford has a point to prove after a difficult period at his home club. He spent the last two weeks training outside of United’s first team after coach Ruben Amorim told him he wasn’t in his plans at Old Trafford. He hasn’t played for United since facing Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League last December, as Amorim left him out for the 2-1 Premier League victory against Manchester City and didn’t consider him for the first team. A six-month loan to Aston Villa did not turn into a permanent transfer for an agreed fee of £40 million ($53.6 million), but sources have said that Rashford has always preferred to join Barça. Rashford, who has three years left on his contract with a salary of £325,000 a week at Old Trafford, scored 138 goals in 426 games for United since making his debut at 18 in February 2016. He also helped United achieve success in the Europa League and two victories in the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup during his time at the club. Meanwhile, Barcelona and Braga have reached an agreement to transfer Pau Víctor to the Portuguese club, but the Spanish striker is still negotiating the terms of his contract to finalize the deal. Deco and the leaders of the Portuguese club intensified negotiations in the last hours and reached an agreement on Wednesday morning. Sources consulted have not yet revealed the final transfer price, but said the forward had been valued between 10 and 15 million euros.

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