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Barcelona are reportedly set to receive a major boost in their intentions to sign Manchester United star Marcus Rashford in January. The Catalans have been heavily linked to the 27-year-old after he fell out of favor with new coach Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.
Amorim has made his intentions clear about Marcus Rashford not being in his plans for the future. The Red Devils academy graduate has been on the bench or remained excluded from the Manchester United squad since the second week of December. Among multiple interested parties, Barcelona have reportedly shown strong interest in signing the Englishman. The forward also favors a move to Barca.
However, if the Catalans wish to accommodate Rashford's salary and register him, they will have to free up their wage bill by selling players. According to GOAL (h/t Fabrizio Romano), Barcelona are close to selling 20-year-old Unai Hernandez to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad. They are set to receive a reported €4-5 million for the Spaniard.
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Hernandez's departure could pave the way for Marcus Rashford's arrival. The aforementioned report indicates that Barca have to find a €6 million wage cap in their bill to bring Rashford. If the Catalans can negotiate on the sum with Manchester United and the Englishman, a potential deal could be possible. However, Rashford would have to compromise on his high wages.
Earlier reports suggested that Barcelona were keen on selling Ansu Fati or Eric Garcia to sign Rashford in January. However, Garcia is reportedly set to stay with Flick not wanting to part ways with the Spaniard. Meanwhile, despite not being in the squad since January, Ansu Fati is unwilling to leave Camp Nou.
Manchester United are interested in signing Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen: Reports
According to SPORT, Manchester United are interested in signing Barcelona centre-back Andreas Christensen. The departure of the Denmark international could also help free up the Catalans' wage bill and enable them to sign Marcus Rashford.
Andreas Christensen was out for the first half of the season owing to an Achilles tendon injury. He returned to the squad in mid-January but is yet to return to the pitch for Barcelona. In his and Ronald Araujo's absence, the centre-back pairing of Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi worked well for the Catalans. Martinez, however, is currently injured with Araujo back as a regular starter.
Therefore, it may be difficult for Andreas Christensen to gain more playtime at Barca. Meanwhile, Manchester United could benefit from securing Christensen's services as he is familiar with the Premier League. The centre-back was at Chelsea from 2014 to 2022.
With La Blaugrana keen on signing Marcus Rashford, Manchester United could strike up a deal with the Catalans for a potential swap or any other prospect that could benefit both sides.
