LONDON: Marcus Rashford has made it clear he wants to link up with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal at Barcelona as he continues to push for a move away from Manchester United.
Rashford has reportedly been interested in joining Barcelona for a long time and his brother, who acts as his agent, Dwaine Maynard, held talks with Barcelona sporting director Deco in Spain last month over a potential £40 million transfer.
But with Barcelona now turning their attention to Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams, the England striker has taken the plunge by meeting Spanish influencer Javi Ruiz in Marbella.
When asked if he would like to play alongside Yamal one day, Rashford replied: “Of course I would. Everyone wants to play with the best players. Hopefully… we’ll see.”
Rashford’s hopes of staying at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim look slim after a reported disagreement and his priority is now a move to Spain.
“Spain is an interesting place and not too far from home,” Rashford told the YouTuber.
“If I train here for a long period, it’s good because my family can come and visit for a few days – the flight only takes three hours. The weather is also good here.”
Deco has previously publicly stated that Barcelona are “interested” in Rashford, as well as also holding an interest in Liverpool winger Luis Diaz.
He then met with Maynard at a hotel in Barcelona to discuss the basic terms of a potential transfer.
Rashford, who still has three years left on his contract at Old Trafford, is not expected to play again for his boyhood club as long as Amorim remains manager.
United are now looking to offload the £315,000-a-week wage burden they are shouldering for Rashford, especially after he spent half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.
The club are willing to listen to offers of around £40 million.
However, Rashford’s dream of a move to Barcelona could be thwarted as the Catalan club are now accelerating their pursuit of Williams.
Barcelona have reportedly reached personal terms with the Spanish winger.