After a title-clinching Clásico stunner, Dutch legend Ronald Koeman warns the Catalan giants not to gamble on a cut-price deal for the prolific England forward this summer.
Marcus Rashford joined Barcelona on a season-long loan from Manchester United at the start of the season, following a six-month spell at Aston Villa. His departure came despite making a promising start under Rúben Amorim at Old Trafford.
The England forward has enjoyed a strong campaign in Spain, scoring 14 goals and providing 14 assists in 47 appearances under Hansi Flick.
Rashford scored a world-class free-kick in the El Clásico to secure the La Liga title for Barcelona, thanks to a 2-0 win, the first time that the league has been won in this fierce derby.
Rashford has made 15 starts for the Catalan club this season, and Barcelona hold a £26 million option to make the move permanent this summer.
Barcelona still undecided on triggering the buy clause
It's clear to see that Rashford has undoubtedly been a success in Spain, so it is quite surprising that the Catalan giants haven't triggered the £30 million purchase option, considering how low the fee is when compared to his output.
Reports indicate that the club are trying to negotiate a lower fee, but legendary Barcelona centre-back, Ronald Koeman insists that the club need to act quickly to secure the signing on a permanent basis.
As quoted by AS, he said, “If Barcelona lets him return to Manchester United after this loan, I think they will regret it immensely. Because 30 million in the current market for a player with these characteristics, these numbers, this experience… that's a rip-off?"
"Rashford hurts teams. Madrid looked terrified every time he turned and ran. Against Real Madrid, he completely destroyed them on the counter-attack. The speed, the aggression, the directness, the confidence - Madrid couldn't handle him.
"Every time Barcelona advanced, he was the danger. He scores a free-kick in El Clásico, stretches the entire defensive line, creates numerical advantages, presses, gets in behind the defence, and yet there are people within the club who hesitate to pay 30 million? That seems insane to me.”
Rashford's stance on the permanent transfer
With it being reported that Manchester United will target a left winger in the summer, some wandered as to whether a reunion between Rashford and Manchester United could be on the table with Barcelona dragging their heels to make the move permanent.
All reports indicate that both club and player insist that a reunion is not on the table even if the move to Barcelona doesn't materialise, and will instead look to move him on elsewhere.
After securing the La Liga title, Rashford made his stance clear on where he wants to play football next season. When asked about his future, he said, "I don't know. I'm no magician, but if I were, I'd stay. I'd stay, so we'll see. I came here to win. I want to win as many things as possible, and this is another title.
“Yes, this is a great team, and they'll win a lot in the future. So being a part of that would be something special, so we'll see."