The justification for this shift in stance—less than six weeks ago, Deco explicitly named Rashford as a player Barcelona “liked”—is the preference for Liverpool forward Luis Díaz. The Colombia international is deemed to be more versatile, more experienced and more willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the team than Rashford.

Marcus Rashford is ready to make a ‘significant’ sacrifice to seal a dream switch to Barcelona and a report has shed light on the type of bid Manchester United could soon receive. Rashford has informed Man Utd he wishes to leave and the club are more than happy to offload their homegrown star.

With Nico Williams signing a new contract at Athletic Club and Liverpool rejecting interest in Diaz, Barcelona have shifted full focus to Rashford. What did Barcelona star Lamine Yamal say to his former teammate before his departure?