Barcelona are reportedly looking to hijack Real Madrid and their pursuit of Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford, who has been in excellent form recently.
According to an exclusive report from Express, Marcus Rashford is generating quite a bit of interest from top clubs, owing to his form in recent games. Real Madrid were already interested in the forward. But, according to the report, Barcelona have entered the picture and are trying to beat their arch-rivals in pursuit of the youngster.
Marcus Rashford burst onto the scene in an almost fairytale-like storyline. Finishing the first season with 8 goals in 18 games in all competitions, the player has gone on to amass 144 senior appearances, which at the age of 21 is phenomenal. But, the academy graduate was getting frustrated under Jose Mourinho at a lack of opportunities in his preferred role upfront.
His recent form, though, has seen him become a regular fixture within the starting lineup and the form has continued into the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reign, with 7 goal contributions (3 goals, 4 assists) in his last six games. Already on the radar of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, Barcelona seem to have taken note of the player’s potential.
Real Madrid had a striker problem brewing for a couple of seasons. The issue though, has magnified, thanks to the club choosing to sell Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus. Karim Benzema did hit a stride of form but has since gone back to his usual game in recent years while Mariano Diaz is a squad option at best.
While Florentino Perez is looking towards Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah as potential recluse for Real Madrid, Marcus Rashford’s uncertain future at Manchester United could be tempting for the president.
For Barcelona, it has been a struggle to find an able to strike replacement for Luis Suarez, who, despite coming into form after a trepid start to the 2018-19 campaign, is already 31 and needs an able replacement within the squad. Marcus Rashford has shown the kind of explosiveness that Barcelona could do with upfront.
Marcus Rashford’s willingness to work for the team and his runs have been lauded for long. Barcelona and Real Madrid would both be lucky to have a striker with such a work rate in their squad. But, the dangling question is whether Rashford will be interested in leaving his boyhood club.
The uncertainty arose mainly due to him being played out of position. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can rectify that and play him in his natural position, Rashford might not be interested in listening to the prospect of an exit from Manchester United.
Rashford is United’s golden boy. And if he is made to play in his natural position, there is little chance of Barcelona, Real Madrid or any other top club succeeding in their pursuit of the English youngster.
