Marcus Rashford may have secured a loan move to Aston Villa, but the forward is still eyeing a potential transfer to a European powerhouse.
The England international, who left Manchester United in January, remains hopeful that Barcelona will reignite their interest in him this summer.
Villa secured Rashford on loan until the end of the season, with an option to buy for £40 million.
Despite links to AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Barcelona, the Midlands club was the only side willing to cover most of his £325,000-a-week wages.
Since arriving at Villa Park, Rashford has shown glimpses of his quality, providing an assist in his second appearance a crucial setup for Ollie Watkins’ equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Ipswich.
However, The Sun reports that Rashford still dreams of playing for Barcelona and believes that a strong spell at Villa could convince the Spanish giants to make a move.
Barcelona’s sporting director Deco previously admitted that Rashford had been on the club’s radar but wasn’t a top target.
“It’s true, we were talking about Marcus Rashford and it was a possible signing… but he couldn’t come,” Deco revealed. “We weren’t desperately looking for a signing. He was not a priority.”
With Barcelona in search of a new forward to ease Robert Lewandowski’s workload, Rashford remains a potential option alongside Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta. The 27-year-old is reportedly willing to take a pay cut to facilitate a move to Spain.
For now, Rashford’s focus will be on impressing at Villa, with his next test coming in a high-profile clash against Liverpool. Upon signing for Unai Emery’s side, he expressed his excitement about the opportunity.
“I was lucky to have a few clubs approach me, but Aston Villa was an easy decision I really admire the way they have been playing this season and the manager’s ambitions,” Rashford said. “I just want to play football and am excited to get started.”
While his future remains uncertain, one thing is clear if Rashford thrives at Villa, a move to a European giant could still be on the cards.