Marcus Rashford’s current form at Barcelona fit determine whether the Spanish giants go move ahead with their interest in 16-year-old winger Cardoso Pinto Mandume Varela.
The England forward joined Barça during the summer after spending the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa. Now 27, Rashford don start life under Hansi Flick on a solid note — scoring three goals and providing four assists in 10 matches across all competitions. That’s seven goal involvements already for the La Liga champions’ new man.
Reports talk say Rashford was Barcelona’s backup option after failed moves for Luis Díaz and Nico Williams. But so far, the Englishman don justify the club’s gamble. Even at that, Barcelona reportedly want to see consistent performances before deciding whether to activate the €30m (£26.1m) purchase clause in his loan deal.
Barcelona’s Rashford Situation Could Impact Varela Pursuit
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona still dey monitor Varela, the 16-year-old Dinamo Zagreb winger with huge potential. The young Portuguese talent — who joined the Croatian club from Porto — don already make four appearances in the Croatian top flight this season, and even visited Barça’s training complex before.
Reports claim Varela dey available for around €6m (£5.2m), and he’s also attracting serious attention from Chelsea. That one no shock anybody, considering the Blues’ recent transfer pattern of signing young players early and building them into future stars.
Chelsea or Barcelona: Who Really Need Varela?
The big question now be whether either club actually need to sign the teenager immediately. Chelsea already get plenty options for the wings — Estevão Willian, Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens, and Alejandro Garnacho — not to mention Geovany Quenda wey go join next season.
Barcelona on the other hand no get that kind depth on the flanks, but swapping Rashford’s experience for an untested 16-year-old no make much sense for now. Still, at €6m, both clubs might view the deal as low-risk — the kind of investment that could yield a big resale value later.
For now, how Rashford finishes the season fit directly influence Barça’s decision — whether to keep the England star permanently or shift focus to the next bright thing in European football.
