Barça reach agreement for Rashford's loan

Hansi Flick now has the winger he was looking for to bolster his second project at the helm of Barça: Marcus Rashford . The 27-year-old Englishman, who was not part of Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim's plans, has joined the Barcelona club on loan from the English side for the current season, according to The Athletic , and has an option to buy initially valued at 35 million euros. The striker, who has finally ousted Luis Díaz , the Liverpool player who initially seemed the favorite to strengthen Hansi Flick's team after the second consecutive fiasco with Nico Williams , has even agreed to lower his salary in order to wear the Barça shirt this season.

Rashford, in fact, has been criticized by Amorim since taking over at United. The striker finished last season on loan at Unai Emery's Aston Villa , and the British club even showed more than willingness to sign him permanently, but a deal with him failed to materialize. The Englishman's main objective, as he has made clear through numerous gestures in recent weeks, was to be part of Flick's second project at the helm of Barça, where he believes he can once again perform at his best. Hence, he hasn't been shy about reducing his multi-million-dollar salary in this case, which during his time with the Red Devils was around €18 million per season.

Liverpool's refusal to sign Luis Díaz, for whom Bayern Munich , who had already competed with Barça in their bid to secure Nico Williams, offered €70 million, has ultimately tipped the balance in Rashford's favor. The Englishman's move with his transfer will also facilitate his registration in La Liga, respecting financial fair play , while the club chaired by Joan Laporta is working tirelessly to be within the 1:1 rule in the eyes of the body chaired by Javier Tebas . The fact that Ter Stegen , who is not in Flick's plans but is resisting facilitating his exit from the club, may be forced to undergo surgery to resolve back problems, with a consequent sideline that could be between four and six months, would also contribute in this case to speeding up the options for both his replacement between the sticks, Joan García , and Rashford himself.

The club's plan is for the English striker to undergo the necessary medical tests in the coming days so that he can take part in Barça's pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea this summer. On July 27, they will face Vissel Kobe in Japan, a team where a true legend of the club such as Andrés Iniesta played. Four days later, they will face FC Seoul , and on August 4, they will face Daegu to put an end to this tour and begin preparations for a clash with Como, which will finally take place at the Johan Cruyff Stadium instead of Camp Nou, the launch of which, at this time, remains unknown.