- Marcus Rashford has four goals and six assists in 17 games since joining Villa
- The England international’s loan deal includes a £40million option to buy
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Marcus Rashford’s January loan move to Aston Villa has seen the Manchester United star seemingly rejuvenated at the top level, which has raised plenty of questions about his immediate future.
The England international’s stint at Villa Park will come to an end at the end of the season, and to date he has four goals and six assists in 17 matches across all competitions.
The Champions League quarter-finalists have a £40million option to make his move permanent this summer, but should that go untriggered then the player will return to boyhood club Man United.
But back in January, there was another team showing their interest in the 27-year-old – Catalan giants Barcelona.
Now, reports from Spain are suggesting that should Villa not take up their option to bring Rashford back permanently, his preferred destination would be Barcelona, and not Man United.
Spanish outlet Sport contends that Barca do not consider Rashford a priority at this stage, but they are thought to be in the market for a forward at the end of the current campaign.
Marcus Rashford is reportedly of interest to Barcelona should he not be bought by Aston Villa
Unai Emery’s side have an option to make Rashford’s loan deal permanent for £40million
Rashford left United in January on loan after being frozen out by new boss Ruben Amorim
As such they are considered to have a good chance of working out a deal to bring him to the Nou Camp, but only if the terms are right, given their ongoing financial concerns.
He is viewed as a player that could feature in any one of the three forward positions in Hansi Flick’s system.
The report continues by suggesting that the player is happy at Villa should the Barca option become less likely, but he is set to remain a subject of interest for chiefs at the Catalan giants ahead of the summer.
Rashford left United for Aston Villa in January after being frozen out by Amorim over his attitude in training.
Under the terms of the deal, Villa are covering at least 75 per cent of his £315,000-a-week salary and have an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season for £40m.
Barcelona meanwhile are facing a huge five weeks of action, and are on course to seal a stunning treble under Flick.
They lead Real Madrid by seven points in LaLiga having played a game more, and will take on their rivals in an El Clasico in the Copa del Rey final.
They will also take on Inter Milan in a Champions League semi-final next week, the winner of which will meet either Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal in the showpiece in Munich at the end of May.
