As reported a while ago, Barcelona have agreed on personal terms with Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford over a loan deal in the ongoing transfer window.
The Red Devils youth player, who had fallen out of favor with Rubén Amorim, has agreed to join the team blaugrana on loan for the rest of the season.
Now that things are agreed with the player, Barça needs to free up salary space to accommodate the 27-year-old attacker in their squad.
The departure of Eric García could be the key
And, according to SPORT, Eric García could be the player sacrificed by Barcelona to make room for the signing of Rashford.
The expected €10 million for the departure of former Celta Vigo defender Oscar Mingueza appears unlikely now that Aston Villa have apparently ended their pursuit of the player.
Ansu Fati had been tipped for an exit after falling out of favor with Hansi Flick, but remains determined to stay.
Given these circumstances, the player most likely to leave the team is García. The versatile 24-year-old defender has an offer to return to Girona, but this time permanently.
As previously reported, Girona are willing to offer Barcelona €10m for the Spaniard, with SPORT claiming the break would be €7m upfront, plus €3m in performance-related variables.
In addition, Barcelona would save half of García’s annual salary of 6 million euros, that is, 3 million euros.
Rashford earns a gross annual salary of €18 million at Manchester United, and Barcelona would need to cover approximately €9 million for the second half of the season.
This amount could be reduced if the Catalans negotiate with Manchester United to share the salary burden.
The €10 million generated by Garcia’s possible departure (€7 million fixed fee, plus €3 million in saved wages) could be used to sign Rashford now that Barça have returned to the 1:1 rule.