According to the latest reports from the Spanish news outlet Sport as cited by Daily Mail, Barcelona will turn their attention towards Marcus Rashford if they fail to land Antoine Griezmann or Neymar in the summer transfer market. Griezmann recently announced that he is willing to leave Atletico Madrid in the summer and Barcelona have been linked with him for quite some time now.
Former Champions League winner with Barcelona, Neymar is also attracting interest from the Spanish giants. Marcus Rashford is being seen as a plan B right now. The Catalan giants might have won the La Liga with ease but the last month of the season would have left a sour taste among the players as well as the fans as they lost to Liverpool and Valencia in Cup competitions.
Why are Barcelona looking to sign a striker?
The Blaugrana have been linked with plenty of strikers in the past few months. Luis Suarez has been a valuable player for them over the years, but it’s clear that the Uruguayan is on a decline.
Ernesto Valverde should definitely think about bringing in a long term replacement for the 32-year-old forward. That is the primary reason why we expect them to sign a striker in the summer.
Is Rashford a good bet for Barcelona?
The 21-year-old forward is still not a finished article, but he has been a regular for his club and country in the last few years. The Englishman has impressive pace and decent finishing skills as well in front of goal. He managed 13 goals and nine assists in all competitions last season.
His versatility to play down the flanks would also come in handy. However, it would be interesting to see whether he would be able to settle in at the club or not. Quite a few top players have struggled to find their footing in the Barcelona team, and Philippe Coutinho who was one of the best players in the Premier League struggled to establish himself at the Camp Nou. Rashford is not known for his link-up play, and given the way the La Liga champions play, he might find it hard to settle in.
However, the English forward is still raw, and he can improve quite a bit in a few years. Plus given his versatility to play as a winger, he can come in handy even if he does not manage to perform as a striker. Therefore we think that the Englishman can have a positive impact at Camp Nou.
