Man Utd now ready to make offer for Serie A star with £153m release clause

Manchester United are considering a proposal for "one of the best players in the world", and Marcus Rashford could be sent in the opposite direction.

Marcus Rashford has confirmed he wants to stay at Barcelona beyond the end of the season, at which point his loan deal comes to an end, saying after the recent 2-0 victory against Real Madrid: “I don’t know. I’m not a magician but if I was I would stay at Barcelona. We will see. Football is unpredictable but for now, I will just enjoy it, live in the moment and reassess at the end of the season and see what is possible.”

However, it remains to be seen whether that will be possible, given the financial issues at FC Barcelona, which are prohibiting the La Liga champions from paying £26m to secure Rashford's signature on a permanent basis.

United feel they can receive more than £26m if they choose to sell their academy graduate to a different club, off the back of an impressive campaign at Barca, picking up 14 goals and 14 assists in 48 matches across all competitions.

The Red Devils have made do without the England forward this season, having signed the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha last summer, but they are now keen on signing a new left-winger.

Man Utd prepared to make offer for Serie A star

According to a report from Caught Offside, Man United are now ready to make an offer for AC Milan star Rafael Leao, who has a €175m (£153m) release clause included in his contract with the Serie A side.

Despite the huge release clause, Milan are willing to sanction a departure for a lower fee, and they are now open to 'creative' offers, with United considering a swap deal, and they could send Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee or Manuel Ugarte in the opposite direction.

A number of Europe's top clubs are also in the race for the Portugal international, who has maintained a stellar attacking record during his time in Italy.

Rafael Leao's Serie A stats

226 appearances

64 goals

50 assists

1 Serie A title

1 Player of the Year award

Luka Modric has also been full of praise for his AC Milan teammate too, saying earlier this season: "Rafa is really amazing. I was looking forward to playing with him, unfortunately he got injured quickly, but now he’s getting back to fitness. This is the Rafa that we need.

"He’s an amazing talent, from outside when I used to watch him and now when I train with him, I see him as one of the best players in the world. The incredible thing is that he can still improve, it just depends on him."

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