Barcelona make final decision on permanent Marcus Rashford transfer

This was no snap judgement from Barcelona. The technical secretariat, led by sporting director Deco, has spent months meticulously weighing up the best options to reinforce the wings. While the club initially courted the likes of Nico Williams and Luis Diaz, they eventually landed on the low cost but high-pedigree alternative of Rashford. It was a move fully endorsed by Hansi Flick, who saw the Englishman as the perfect high-level rotation piece to support untouchables Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

Deco held a key summit in Barcelona with Rashford's primary representative Arturo Canales to map out the transition from a loan to a permanent deal, as reported by Sport. The directors are delighted with his immediate impact, especially after he was thrust into the starting XI following an injury to Raphinha. His adaptation has been seamless, proving that his difficult final months in Manchester were a blip rather than a permanent decline.

Rashford has already racked up a staggering 10 goals and 13 assists, recapturing the form that many feared he had lost at Old Trafford. Deco and his team were initially hesitant about committing to the €30 million buy-out clause, preferring to see how the 28-year-old handled the pressure of Camp Nou. However, given his positive start to life in Catalonia, the club is now ready to move forward with the operation.

Despite the sporting consensus, United are not making life easy for the Catalan giants. According to the report, Barca would ideally like to negotiate the €30m figure downwards, but the Premier League outfit are standing firm. They maintain that the price was agreed upon during the initial loan negotiations and that there is zero room for further bargaining. United’s stance remains inflexible. Barca must either pay the stipulated amount or the player returns to England, even though United are well aware of Rashford's firm desire to remain in Spain.

Speaking recently about the forward's impact and his commitment to the Blaugrana cause, Deco was full of praise for the England international. "We are very happy with him. Also, I think it is not easy to come here. He is a footballer who has played at a very high level, with enormous demand in a club like Manchester United. After that, he was for six months at Aston Villa, where he did a very good job. In fact, Aston Villa, if they could have, would have kept him; I know this because I have spoken to people there. But he only wanted to come to Barca, and that is something very positive. We have been able to get a loan. The fact of coming here lowering his salary to be able to do so is a clear demonstration that he really wanted to come, and we are very happy with that. He is a player who brings us a lot," the sporting director said.

The move is not without its detractors as Barca approaches its presidential elections on March 15. Candidate Xavier Vilajoana has publicly cast doubt upon the future of Rashford at the club, suggesting that the team should look inward rather than spending significant sums on outside talent.

Vilajoana recently told ESPN: "I am someone who believes you should always look in-house first, as I've always said, and then look outside depending on the characteristics of the players you have. For example, I want to give the example of Jan Virgili, who is currently playing for Mallorca. He's a great winger. I would maybe look at [exercising the clause to re-sign him] as an option, for example, rather than paying the Rashford clause. That said, it's not just the president who arrives and makes the decision. The president arrives, puts things on the table, alternatives are considered, it's discussed and a decision is made. What I am clear on is that if [signing Rashford] is considered to be the best decision from a sporting point of view, the money will be there to make it happen."