Barcelona reach an agreement with Manchester United forward over loan move

It has already been widely reported that FC Barcelona see Manchester United outcast Marcus Rashford as a key target for the ongoing winter transfer window.

The 27-year-old is out of favour at Old Trafford and the Blaugrana see him as a good short-term signing to bolster their title ambitions this season.

Rashford is also courting interest from several other clubs, with Borussia Dortmund emerging as Barça’s toughest competitors in the race.

Agreement reached with Rashford

In a major boost, though, SPORT’s David Bernabeu Reverter reports that Barcelona have an agreement in place with Marcus Rashford for him to join the club on loan for the rest of the season.

Indeed, the Manchester United forward has decided he wants to play for Barcelona and as such, the two parties have already reached an agreement over his temporary move to Catalonia.

Salary space needs to be created

However, the Blaugrana must now free up salary space in order to fit the England international’s wages into their financial structure.

Rashford’s annual salary amounts to €18 million gross, of which Barcelona would need to cover around €9 million (for the second half of the season).

This figure could decrease if the club reaches an agreement with Manchester United to not assume his full wages.

Barcelona are looking for ways to free up space for the forward’s arrival, with a player exit being explored.

Ansu Fati, no longer a part of Hansi Flick’s plans, is reluctant to leave Barça, which could lead to Eric Garcia being offloaded.

As far as Rashford is concerned, he is willing to wait for Barcelona until the final days of the transfer window. The Catalans have until February 3 to complete the operation.