DREAM OR FARCE: BARCA'S "WEIRD PLAN" TO USE MARCUS RASHFORD TO GET JULIAN ALVAREZ
Despite Marcus Rashford's impressive form on loan, a wild report claims Barcelona wants to sign him permanently only to immediately swap him + £61M for Atletico's Julian Alvarez.
A strange story says FC Barcelona might include Marcus Rashford in a swap with Atletico Madrid.
This past summer, Rashford joined Barcelona on loan from Man Utd, with an option to buy him for about £26 million.
After getting back in form during his loan at Aston Villa at the end of last season, the England player got his dream move to Barcelona.
Barcelona looked at other options but chose Rashford after missing out on Luis Diaz and Nico Williams. Head coach Hansi Flick was drawn to Rashford's ability to play many positions.
Rashford was only supposed to play a small role for Barcelona, but he's been playing so well that Flick has had to play him a lot. He's been impressive this season, with six goals and eleven assists in 21 games.
So, it seems likely Rashford will join Barcelona for good. But a new report from Spain says they have another idea in mind.
Instead, Barcelona is said to have a weird plan to sign and then trade Rashford in the same transfer window. The story claims they want to include him in a £61 million swap deal with Atletico Madrid to get Julian Alvarez, who used to play for Manchester City.
Will this actually happen? Probably not.
The report adds that the conditions are set for this deal, with Barcelona using Rashford and £61 million to try and get Alvarez.
The report says Atletico Madrid isn't against signing Rashford if Julian Alvarez ends up at Barcelona. Diego Simeone really likes Rashford, especially his speed and how directly he attacks from any position. Getting a player like that would make up for losing a player as good as Alvarez.
So, Atletico has set its terms. They think Julian Alvarez is worth €120 million and Rashford is worth about €50 million. Because of this, they want an extra €70 million for the deal to go through.
Wes Brown, who used to play for Man Utd, talked about Rashford's good form over the last year. He said Rashford was always going to do well after leaving Man Utd.
Marcus Rashford was always going to play well after leaving Manchester United. He was at the club for so long, and not all of it was fun for him, especially the last few years, Brown told BetWright Casino.
He got a lot of criticism toward the end of last season. I don't blame him for wanting a change, and I think his leaving was good for United too. No one thought he would leave and be bad, but he just wasn't in the right place to play well at United. It wasn't working.
It's great to see how well he's doing now at Barcelona. He's doing great, and he deserved to be back in the England team. I'm sure he'll have a good World Cup.
BARTOMEU UNCOVERS SECRET 2017 MBAPPé BID DURING REVEALING CADENA SER INTERVIEW
Josep Maria Bartomeu reveals Barcelona targeted Kylian Mbappé in 2017, but coaches preferred a move for Ousmane Dembélé instead
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has just dropped a bit of a bombshell: right after Neymar left for PSG, Barcelona actually went after Kylian Mbappe. That chaotic summer in 2017, when Neymar's record-breaking move sent shockwaves through the club, left them scrambling for a new superstar.
Bartomeu admitted in an interview with SER that Neymar’s shock exit caught everyone off guard. “Neymar’s departure came as a shock to the club; we didn’t want him to leave,” he said. Suddenly, Barcelona was scouring the market for big names, and with Mbappe starring at Monaco, he became their top target.
But here’s the twist: even though the club reached out for both Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, the coaching staff made the final call. Bartomeu explained, “We made an offer for Mbappe and another for Dembele. The coaching staff preferred Dembele.” So, instead of pushing for Mbappe, Barcelona pressed ahead with Dembele, ultimately striking a deal with Borussia Dortmund worth €105 million plus add-ons.
Of course, there was the small matter of money, too. Bartomeu clarified that the price Monaco set for Mbappe was simply out of reach: €180 million, take it or leave it, and it was PSG who could step up. “It wasn’t an offer in the strict sense. They would say to you, "He's worth €180 million." If you want Mbappe, it’s €180 million, and Paris paid it.” Between the steep price and the coaching staff’s strong preference for Dembele, Barcelona backed off.
Bartomeu also opened up about how he handled transfers during his tenure. One thing stood out: after he pushed for the Luis Suarez signing from Liverpool despite all the controversy and got hammered with criticism, he decided to step back and trust the technical staff from then on. Suarez went on to win the Champions League and four La Liga titles with Barcelona, but that experience taught Bartomeu a lesson. “The only decision I made as president or as an administrator, and which I defended vigorously, was the signing of Suarez,” he said. “I was heavily criticised by all the media, so I learned the lesson that the president or administrators cannot interfere in sporting matters. We must trust the technical staff, the sporting directors, and the coaches; it is they who decide on signings.”
BARCELONA SECURE 14-POINT LEAD OVER MADRID; ESPANYOL RESULT NOW DETERMINES TITLE
Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres scored late to move Barcelona 14 points clear, leaving them one Madrid loss from the title.
Barcelona now sit 14 points ahead of Real Madrid, and if Madrid slips up against Espanyol on Sunday, the title’s theirs.
Lewandowski finally broke the deadlock after 81 minutes, nodding in a header, and Torres added another four minutes from the end. Osasuna didn't quit, though Raul Garcia pulled one back late, but Barcelona held on for all three points. They’re inching closer to a second league title in a row, the club’s 29th overall.
If Madrid beats Espanyol, Barcelona’s next chance to seal it comes in the Clásico on May 10 against their biggest rivals.
Flick’s trying to keep his team’s focus on the next match rather than the Clasico, but Barcelona played the first half like a squad with little to lose. Missing the injured Lamine Yamal, they lost a chunk of their energy on the attack. Sure, they dominated possession, but breaking down Osasuna for real chances? That was tough.
Roony Bardghji, filling in for Yamal on the right, managed a decent long shot, but Osasuna’s keeper, Sergio Herrera, had no trouble stopping it. Honestly, Osasuna nearly shocked everyone before halftime. Ante Budimir battled through two defenders and poked the ball off the post.
Barcelona picked up the pace after the break. Dani Olmo should’ve scored from close range, but he fluffed it. Flick then rolled the dice from the bench, bringing on three subs, including Marcus Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, to take over the right flank.
Rashford almost made an immediate impact, curling a shot just over and injecting some much-needed speed. He set up the opener too, swinging in a perfect cross for Lewandowski, who lost his marker and buried his header. Torres, another sub, finished with precision to double the lead.
Still, it wasn’t comfortable. Garcia scored for Osasuna in stoppage time, left wide open in the box, forcing Barcelona to sweat out the last minutes. The Catalans dug in, clearing everything in sight as Osasuna pressed, but finally, they held on for their tenth league win in a row. Now, all they can do is wait.
