Marcus Rashford is said to have wasted a golden opportunity to establish himself with Barcelona this month and seal a permanent switch to the Camp Nou. The 28-year-old is currently on a season-long loan with the Catalan giants after burning bridges at Old Trafford.
The England international fell out of favour under Ruben Amorim's management, spending the closing stages of last season on loan at Aston Villa before joining Barca in the summer on a 12-month deal. The La Liga leaders, however, possess an option to convert his stay into a permanent transfer at the end of the current campaign for approximately £26million.
Rashford was presented with the chance to make that option an obvious decision this month when Raphinha sustained a hamstring injury. Yet the forward failed to truly seize it.
Rashford was given carte blanche to make an impression during Barcelona's Champions League quarter-final ties against Atletico Madrid this month - deployed as a starter in the opening encounter at the Nou Camp. Following a lacklustre display, he was demoted to the substitutes' bench for the return leg at the Metropolitano - with Dani Olmo stepping in instead.
As Barcelona ultimately exited the competition 3-2 on aggregate, it remains unclear whether Rashford will be afforded another opportunity to demonstrate his value in this weekend's La Liga fixture away at Getafe.
Meanwhile, Marca report that another complication may be emerging regarding a permanent switch to sunny Spain for Rashford this summer - namely that the club may be reluctant to meet United's asking price in one lumper.
The publication claim that the club have floated the possibility of settling the clause through instalments. However, United's position is that they will not renegotiate their original agreement.
Barca sources reportedly indicated just months ago that satisfying Rashford's personal demands would not pose a problem, however, it is now suggested that the club are exploring alternative options to strengthen their forward line.
With Robert Lewandowski's future at the club beyond 2025/26 uncertain, Barcelona could opt to instead deploy their resources by recruiting another natural striker rather than investing heavily in Rashford - who prefers the left flank.
The likes of Victor Osimhen and Dusan Vlahovic have each been touted with a switch to the Nou Camp recently - their respective salaries cutting into Barca's transfer budget should a deal for either materialise.
Should Rashford return to Greater Manchester, there's always a possibility that he could force his way back into first-team contention, given Amorim is no longer at the club and Michael Carrick recently left the door ajar to that prospect.
Speaking about Rashford's circumstances this month, he said: "There's decisions to be made on certain things, and obviously Marcus is in that situation. But at this point in time, nothing's been decided. It will be, because it has to be at a certain point, but at this stage, there's nothing to say."
However, with Carrick's own future at the club beyond the current campaign hanging in the balance - given he is only in an interim role with no assurance of being appointed permanently - Rashford cannot bank everything on one outcome.
