Barcelona has ruled out a move for a resurgent Manchester United star, despite his impressive La Liga redemption.
Barcelona’s hunt for a new forward this summer focused on reinforcing their attacking potential with a dynamic, multi-equipped player to pair with their existing stars.
Manager Hansi Flick appears to be intent upon adding depth and tactical adaptability, with the club looking for Premier League players to fill their gap.
The club still faces some strong financial opposition and an inflated transfer market, but they appear to know what they want in assessing the transfer market landscape.
Marcus Rashford and Antony of Manchester United emerged as the two most likely plausible options, but the club is primarily interested in Rashford, as reported by Diario Sport.
United has put a €40 million transfer fee on Rashford, reflecting his experience and ability to be versatile, while Antony is available for €35 million.
Antony has scored nine goals and created five assists on loan at Real Betis and has made an impressive redemption for himself. Regardless, the club doesn’t contemplate bringing in Antony.
Rashford appears to be preferred by Flick’s system because he has multi-competence to play anywhere across the front three positions.
Antony’s revival in La Liga has been impressive. After facing great difficulty at Manchester United, the 24-year-old saw his talent rekindled at Betis, displaying himself as a shining winger.
But when Barcelona is considering the proven pedigree and versatility of Rashford, even at a higher price, that is the priority.
The club worked endlessly on creative financial options for Rashford – getting him for one year as a loan, or reducing the fee, etc.
However, between United and Barcelona, there really is no way other than paying the fee, and if they keep asking for a higher fee, then other options will be considered.
As the transfer window nears, Barcelona’s preference for Rashford over Antony highlights their strategic priorities.
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