After failing to sign Nico Williams, in the minds of sporting director Deco, there were only Luis Diaz (Liverpool) and Marcus Rashford (Manchester United). Barca rat Diaz higher but in terms of financial potential, they are not enough to meet the figure that could be up to 80 million Euros from Liverpool.
Barca do not have enough money, but they are transferring it according to La Liga's 1:1 rule. The team needs to earn enough money to spend on Diaz, including the transfer fee, to be able to recruit the Colombian star. Therefore, Deco turned to Rashford, a loan deal without transfer fees. Barca only need to pay the English striker's salary (down 15%).
Rashford will be given priority by Barca to rotate as a left striker, but the English striker has played many positions in the attack for the "Red Devils" in recent years. He will be a versatile option for coach Hansi Flick in attack.
Last season, the main players in Barcelona's attack, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, proved their effectiveness very well. Barca is the team with the most goals in La Liga (102). Real Madrid is in second place with 78 goals. Lewandowski alone has scored 27 goals and is only 4 goals behind the top scorer Kylian Mbappe. Meanwhile, Raphinha scored 18 goals and Yamal scored 9 goals.
Barca's attack will be very strong if all three of these stars play together. However, Flick must take into account the physical exhaustion due to participating in too many arenas. Not only that, if he continues to play, injuries can hit at any time and needs people like Rashford to rotate.
Last season, Raphinha often played on the left wing, but following Flick's tactical development, the Brazilian striker will gradually be restructured into a center forward position to follow Lewy, who is approaching 37 years old. In terms of speed, Rashford is considered to be superior to Raphinha, so if the English striker adapts well, he will become a very dangerous striker, and may even gradually take the starting position. The reason is that other strikers such as Ansu Fati and Pau Victor have all left Camp Nou, so the competition with Rashford has also led to few moves.
As for Rashford, this striker is very aware that the 2026 World Cup is approaching. If he does not have a good performance in the next season, the summer in the US will be far away and he may never have a chance in the "Three Lions" anymore.
Before signing with Barca, Rashford was aware of the risk of not being registered in the first team in the early stages of the season, similar to the case of Dani Olmo. However, Barcelona's appeal and strength at the moment are too great, making it impossible for the English striker to accept. The immediate difficulties are clear when competing for positions with the world's top stars, but Rashford still accepts because there are no better opportunities.
Rashford is not the player Barcelona will pursue in the "normal" context. However, this striker is someone who is more or less suitable for the current requirements of the team. Rashy is not the first choice of the Blaugrana but will suit the club's current financial situation.
