The salary space Barcelona must free up to be able to sign the 27-year-old Manchester United forward – Report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are looking to make reinforcements in the January transfer window to improve the squad depth and give Hansi Flick more options to push for both the La Liga and the Champions League in the second half of the season.

The squad is currently looking good in most areas of the pitch but can do with reinforcements in a few areas. For example, having a better left-winger would give Hansi Flick more freedom on how he wants to use Raphinha.

The Brazilian has played extensively from the left but can also play as the number 10 and has excelled so far this season playing through the middle. However, the lack of a solid left-winger has forced Flick to use Raphinha only from the left in most games.

It emerged recently that Barcelona wanted to sign Marcus Rashford from Manchester United on a loan deal to bolster the attack. The Englishman is out of favor under Ruben Amorim and is versatile enough to play through the middle and from the left.

Manchester United will demand the club that takes Rashford for the rest of the season that they cover his salary in whole. Now, as per SPORT, Barcelona will have to free up around €6.5m gross from the current squad to bring the Englishman to the club.

Having entered the 1:1 rule, it is much easier for Barcelona to generate salary space in the squad and the report provides different ways in which they can do it. The most obvious one is the sale of Ronald Araujo, who has been linked extensively with a transfer to Juventus.

Another player who has been linked with an exit from the squad is Eric Garcia with Girona said to be interested although one would assume that only one of the Spaniard and the Uruguayan would be let go of this month, if any.

The third name that could be on the chopping block is Ansu Fati. The Spanish forward is all but out of the plans under Hansi Flick with the German coach leaving him out of the squad to accommodate Toni Fernandez. An exit could be very realistic this month, especially considering he is one of the highest earners at the club.

Finally, there is Frenkie de Jong. A very high-earner, and it is highly unlikely that any club would make an offer suitable to let him go this winter transfer window. Thus, this might not be a realistic option to generate salary space in the squad.

Rashford is said to earn around €10m a year net, of which €5m is still to be paid. It is being said that he will have to give up €2m to sign for Barcelona, and let’s wait and see if the Catalan club finds a way to sign him this January.