‘It’s true’: Euro giants’ director discloses winter pursuit of ‘unstoppable’ Man Utd star

In partnership with

Stretty News

·14. Februar 2025

‘It’s true’: Euro giants’ director discloses winter pursuit of ‘unstoppable’ Man Utd star

Prior to his late window switch to Aston Villa, Marcus Rashford found himself linked with a host of top European clubs.

Indeed, the forward’s continued exile at Manchester United provoked the interest of numerous suitors, including the likes of AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona, the latter of which was believed to be his preferred destination.

OneFootball Videos

Then, when the La Liga giants failed to sanction any outgoings, there was simply no space left on the wage bill for Rashford to make the move. With few concrete options available in the closing stages of the window, he ultimately opted for the Midlands outfit.

Rashford made his debut for the Villans off the bench in their 2-1 FA Cup triumph over Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday – although reports have already suggested just one game into his tenure that, despite the club having a buy option for the end of the season, his heart may still be set on the Blaugrana.

Barca chief verifies Rashford interest

Rashford donned another club’s colours for the first time in his career last weekend. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Barcelona’s Sporting Director, Deco, confirmed this week that the side had the ‘unstoppable’ 27-year-old on their shortlist in recent weeks before a transfer failed to materialise.

“It’s true, we were talking about Marcus Rashford, and it was a possible signing… but he couldn’t come,” Deco admitted. “We weren’t desperately looking for a signing. He was not a priority.”

Whether or not their situation will change come the summer remains to be seen, as the Spanish giants are always navigating a precarious financial position – so much so that they almost saw signings Dani Olmo and Pau Victor released after the first half of the term due to the league’s wage cap restrictions.

Eventually, Barcelona were granted provisional permission to register the duo in the short term until the Spanish National Sports Council (CSD) makes a definitive ruling on their case.