Red Devils ‘negotiate’ Rashford swap with Barcelona as Amorim looks to sign ‘hot potato’

Manchester United have reportedly started talks with Barcelona over the possibility of sending Marcus Rashford to the Camp Nou and helping him realize his wish to move to La Liga – and the Red Devils are apparently willing to lure a long-term goal in a move pupil. profile exchange and in a process that could ultimately suit all parties.

The 27-year-old striker is making headlines this week after being dropped from Manchester United team of the day to face Manchester City last Sunday, with their local star forced to watch their dramatic 2-1 victory from the comfort of his sofa. In the hours that followed, Gary Neville praised Ruben Amorim for taking a tough stance, while Roy Keane suggested it could be the end of the road for the Old Trafford player.

And after making clear his wish to leave United and start a new chapter in his career following an explosive interview with Henry Winter, speculation has increased over exactly where Rashford will eventually move on to the next one.

However, any move is of course complicated by the player’s colossal salary at Old Trafford. He is currently their second highest earner, behind Casemiro, and takes home a whopping £325,000 per week. And with his contract only expiring in 2028, he is owed some £60 million in wages over the life of this deal, making any departure difficult to negotiate.

However, reports in Spain now claim Barcelona and Man Utd are ‘negotiating a swap deal’ involving Rashford and Frenkie de Jong ahead of the January transfer window.

The Dutch midfielder has found himself on the sidelines at the Camp Nou this season, having started just two games under new coach Hansi Flick, who has the Blaugrana top of La Liga and second in the Champions League.

And with El National Describing De Jong as a ‘hot potato’ at Camp Nou due to being their highest paid player but unable to break into the team, they say United have shown ‘great interest’ to finally bring in the former Ajax man. man at Old Trafford and that Ruben Amorim “still thinks he could be an interesting addition to the midfield”.

As a result, the report claims that Amorim ‘wants’ Rashford to ‘leave’ and ‘he has been offered’ to Barcelona president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco ‘as a bargaining chip’.

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What’s next for Marcus Rashford?

Speculation surrounding Rashford’s future has increased significantly following his announcement on Tuesday evening.

And trusted journalist Ben Jacobs wrote in his article on TEAMtalk that even if the player is not sent off, they would be open to his sale and that a transfer to PSG is not on the agenda at the momentdespite long-standing interest from French giants in its services.

Since then, sources have told us that Rashford, in fact, favors a move to La Liga and will reject offers from the Premier League – and with four English suitors monitoring his situation – to push for a move to La Liga.

And although Barcelona have strong interest, particularly following claims they could swap the 60-cap England star for De Jong, Rashford has also been linked with a move to Atletico Madridalthough Diego Simeone’s team would primarily seek to negotiate a swap deal.

Ask me anything! Ask your questions about the next transfer window HERE for TEAMtalk’s Fraser Fletcher to respond Friday afternoon

Amorim fails to turn on Rashford as Ferdinand strikes

Amorim’s handling of the situation has certainly attracted plenty of praise in recent days, with BBC football editor Simon Stone believing he will know soon enough whether the Portuguese coach’s claims that he wanted to keep Rashford are true enough.

This comes after Amorim admitted he felt ’emotional’ and advised Rashford on what to do next following his interview with Winter.

Stone wrote: “If Manchester United gave advice on how not to create even more turmoil around an already delicate situation, Ruben Amorim followed it.

“We know enough about Amorim now to know that he is not someone who holds back just for the sake of it, so there is an element of reality in his observations that Marcus Rashford is a great talent – ‘and we need great talent’.

“But this is also a case where actions will speak louder than words.”

“Amorim says he wants Rashford to stay. But also that players must meet his standards. He says Rashford – and Alejandro Garnacho – will be assessed for selection on training pitch performance.

“So it’s fair to assume that if neither reaches the required standard, they won’t travel to London for the EFL Cup match at Tottenham – even if Rashford has shaken off the illness that kept him out to train on Monday.

“After Tottenham, United will play Premier League matches against Bournemouth, Wolves and Newcastle.

“We will know soon enough where Rashford fits into Amorim’s plans. If he fails to perform to the standard demanded by his new boss, the 27-year-old will not feature.

Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, believes that not everything is coming to fruition around Rashford’s wish to leave Old Trafford.after also denouncing the way in which his wish to exit was announced.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand presentshe said: “I don’t think it’s just a footballing decision for Manchester United, there’s more to it than that.”

He added: “You have to remember when this kid came on the scene he was a real breath of fresh air, he was a joke. Again, the body language upon arrival was what every fan envisioned themselves being if they walked in.

“That’s what killed me the most, that his body language, over the last three years, has not been what a Manchester United fan sees himself in a red Manchester United shirt when a goal between or when he sets foot on Old Trafford. His body language is almost depressive, body language similar to that of a recluse.

De Jong’s Barcelona career in numbers