Barca could sacrifice Christensen to allow for Rashford signing

Andres Christensen returned to the Barcelona squad on January 18 after a five-month absence with injury, but his time with the 'Blaugrana' may not go much further than that. According to 'Mundo Deportivo', Barca have put the Dane on the market to offload him before the end of the January transfer window. 

The reasoning lies behind their intent to seal the deal for Marcus Rashford. The Man United forward was also linked with a move to AC Milan, however, the 'Rossoneri' have been forced off from the race following Walker's arrival at the San Siro - blocking the remaining non-EU player's spot. Borussia Dortmund are also keen on the Englishman, but Barca seem to remain in pole position.

But the primary obstacle in their pursuit of Rashford has been his wages. The 27-year-old currently has an annual salary of €18 million, meaning Barcelona would have to pay approximately €9 million for the remainder of the season (€17 million gross). Although the ‘Cules’ are within LaLiga's 1:1 salary cap rule, they are not prepared to make such a financial commitment and are only willing to pay €3 million net. 

Despite Rashford's willingness to reduce his salary to join them, Barcelona would still have to make space for his arrival. €6 million is the amount of money the club will reportedly have to free up before the end of the winter session. Ansu Fati was initially targeted as the man to sacrifice, with reports talking about a potential swap deal with the United player. However, his reluctance to leave tied with his consistently poor performance, have ruled him out as an option. 

Barcelona's attention has therefore been turned to the overcrowded centre-back position. Following Ronald Araujos's renewal with the 'Azulgrana' and Eric Garcia's potential transfer to Como denied by Cesc Fabregas, the head coach of the Italian side, Christensen has emerged as a candidate. The Denmark international could find game-time elsewhere with starter Inigo Martinez set to return in February, pushing him further down in Hansi Flick's pecking order.

 

January 25, 2025