Marcus Rashford's 'dream' club line up loan move for Man Utd star | OneFootball

Barcelona are set to "go all out" in their pursuit of a loan deal for Manchester United's exiled forward Marcus Rashford, according to a report in Spain.

The England international's future at his boyhood club has been in serious doubt since United reportedly put him up for sale earlier this season. Rashford stoked the flames of these rumours when he confirmed his desire for a "new challenge" after sitting out December's Manchester derby.

Rashford has not played for United since that explosive interview, although head coach Ruben Amorim has been deliberately vague when explaining away his star forward's continued absence.

Despite a salary in excess of £300,000-per-week, Rashford has inspired interest from several clubs across the continent. AC Milan became the first to table a formal bid for the 27-year-old and there has been extensive links to numerous clubs in Saudi Arabia.

However, Rashford's "dream" destination has long been thought to be Spain. Barcelona were named as his preferred club last month and that move could now come to pass, according to SPORT.

Marcus Rashford has come up against Barcelona before / Visionhaus/GettyImages

The Spanish publication claim that Barcelona are investigating a myriad of possibilities to find room within La Liga's salary limits for Rashford's wages. A six-month loan until the end of the current campaign - without any obligation to buy - is thought to be "a very real option".

A consequence of the desperate scramble to re-register Dani Olmo is that the cash-strapped Catalan giants have achieved the "1:1 rule", ensuring that every penny they earn can be spent in the transfer market.

Sought-after centre-back Ronald Araujo could leave this month, as well as Eric Garcia and forgotten wonderkid Ansu Fati, opening up more funds for the potential arrival of Rashford.

While Barcelona's proposal will require plenty of financial fiddling, Ligue 1 club Monaco are in a strong economic position to offer a realistic package for Rashford, according to The Telegraph. The principality club are very much interested in United's forward and have the benefit of being based in a tax haven, which gives them greater scope to cover his lofty wages.