Rashford to Barca? Out of favour United star keen to link up with Yamal

Marcus Rashford has opened the door to a sensational move to Barcelona, expressing his admiration for rising star Lamine Yamal and his desire to one day share the pitch with the 17-year-old prodigy.

The 27-year-old England forward, currently at a crossroads in his career, spent the latter half of last season on loan at Aston Villa after falling out of favour under Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim. 

Although Rashford remains under contract with United until 2028, sources have confirmed to ESPN that the club is listening to offers this summer amid interest from Barcelona, Juventus, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, and several Premier League sides.

Speaking on Spanish YouTube channel xBuyer during a visit to Marbella, Rashford was asked whether he would like to play with Yamal, to which he responded without hesitation:

"Yeah, for sure. Everybody in the world wants to play with the best. Hopefully… we'll see."

Yamal has taken world football by storm over the past year, playing a pivotal role in both Barcelona's LaLiga and Copa del Rey triumphs, as well as Spain's Euro 2024 success. His extraordinary talent at just 17 has drawn praise from across the footballing world and Rashford is no exception.

"It's difficult to put into words what he is doing," Rashford said. "He is not supposed to be doing that at 16, 17. I've not seen that before."

While reports had earlier linked Barcelona with a £40 million move for Rashford-- facilitated by his agent Pini Zahavi -- the Catalan club now appear to be prioritising the signing of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams. Nonetheless, Rashford's comments suggest the door remains open for a potential future switch.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Rashford is preparing to return to pre-season training with Manchester United in July if a transfer does not materialise. 

The Red Devils have already bolstered their attacking options by signing Matheus Cunha from Wolves and are reportedly pursuing Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo, alongside interest in strikers Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres.

Rashford, who scored four goals across 17 appearances for Villa and earned a recall to the England squad earlier this year under new boss Thomas Tuchel, remains hopeful of reigniting his career -- possibly in the sunlit backdrop of Spain.

"With Spain, it's nice for me," Rashford added. "If I train here for a bit longer, my family can visit—just a three-hour flight. And the weather's good too."