20 May 2026 10:57 BST |
5 min read
Marcus Rashford’s dream of landing a permanent move to Barcelona continue to hang in the balance, with the Catalan side offered a “zero-cost” alternative to the on-loan Manchester United star.
Barcelona are on the lookout for additional firepower for next season following Robert Lewandowski’s announcement that he is leaving the club. The Blaugrana are ready to pour their resources towards finding a centre-forward, with Chelsea’s Joao Pedro currently the favoured option.
With a centre-back also on the club’s summer shopping list, this threatens to leave no money to sign Rashford on a permanent basis, despite his strong performances over the course of the campaign.
The Man Utd player, for his part, has done everything within his power to secure a move to Camp Nou.
He has reinvented himself as a right winger while he has also offered Barcelona a creative solution on his contract that is designed to help cut their initial outlay on him.
All this, however, may not be enough for Rashford to secure his dream move as Ansu Fati has pulled an unexpected U-turn and offered himself as a “zero-cost” alternative to the England ace.
Ansu factor puts Rashford’s future in doubt
Ansu had been expected to remain with Monaco, where he has spent the year on loan rejuvenating his career. Although his time in France has had its ups and downs – he’s not even been a regular starter in Ligue 1, despite a fine scoring record – he is keeping the door open for Barcelona.
An €11 million move to Monaco appeared all but complete, with only an issue with the attacker’s wage to be resolved, but Mundo Deportivo states there has been an unexpected hitch.
“The La Masia graduate, under contract with Barca until 2028, has not given his final approval and is still being considered as an option to strengthen the Barca squad,” it reports.
“At a time when Barca are looking for a left winger and are prepared to make multi-million euro investments in various players, including Julian Alvarez or Marcus Rashford, Ansu Fati presents the club with a free option.”
The advantages of signing Ansu are clear: he came through the academy and already has a strong relationship with many members of the squad.
With Barca unwilling to trigger Rashford’s €30m buyout clause in his loan, the Catalan source states that he “believes he has a place in the squad”.
Analysing Marcus Rashford vs Ansu Fati
Rashford is clearly the stronger option for Barcelona, according to data analytics firm SciSports.
He has a SciSkill rating of 112.4, which is driven by a calculation that is drawn from hundreds of in-game data points. By contrast, Ansu sits at 95.8, which is barely enough to make him a viable squad player at Camp Nou.
In terms of attacking output, Ansu outperformed Rashford in terms of his goals scored in league play 10-8 this season. But that does not tell the whole story. Across the board, Rashford’s attacking figures were stronger, indicating his superior all-round game.
For Barcelona, though, it’s not just about who’s the better player. More importantly, it’s about who offers better value for money.
Do they stick with the cheap option in Ansu, whose peak years are still ahead, or do they finally bow to Man Utd’s demands and finally pay Rashford’s €30m transfer fee?
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