Barcelona see £40m signing of Man Utd's Rashford the 'best and cheapest option'

Marcus Rashford is being viewed now as the best and cheapest option - at £40 million - for Barcelona with Luis Diaz and Nico Williams off the list.

The shift comes as their top targets have proven difficult or impossible to secure—Williams has renewed his contract with Athletic Club, and Liverpool have made negotiations for Luis Díaz extremely complicated.

Additionally, Barcelona’s ongoing financial constraints make a big-money move for Díaz even more challenging.

One of the factors making Rashford’s signing more appealing is the player’s own desire to join the Catalan giants from Manchester United.

Rashford has reportedly communicated to other interested clubs that he prefers to wait for Barcelona’s decision, demonstrating his strong will to play at Camp Nou.

Compared to Díaz, Rashford’s transfer would also be less expensive and logistically simpler.

Negotiations have been ongoing for weeks, with Barcelona maintaining contact with Arturo Canales, who is known for representing former Barça coach Xavi, reported As.

While Rashford’s long-time agent is Dwaine Maynard, Canales is currently acting as an intermediary in talks between the parties.

Although Rashford is not the first choice of sporting director Deco, the list of alternatives is rapidly shrinking.

After setbacks with Williams and Díaz, and considering the club’s tight financial situation, Deco is left with fewer options.

Rashford, meanwhile, continues to send positive signals to Barcelona, including public praise for the club and its young star Lamine Yamal. “Of course I’d like to play with Lamine Yamal.

Everyone wants to play with the best, so hopefully, we’ll see. It’s hard to describe in words what he’s doing, because he shouldn’t be doing this at 16 or 17 years old,” Rashford recently said.

According to multiple reports, manager Hansi Flick has now given the green light to accelerate negotiations for Rashford.

The key question for Barcelona is whether to sign him quickly or wait until their finances allow for a 1:1 spending ratio under LaLiga rules, potentially negotiating a better price with Manchester United.

Regardless, Rashford has now become a very real and viable option for Barcelona’s attack this summer.