Marcus Rashford continues his good start to life at Barcelona, but the club’s sporting director has dismissed the idea of triggering his buy option in January.
Barca picked up an eventful 4-2 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday, with Robert Lewandowski scoring a hat-trick.
Rashford did not get on the score sheet, but was involved as he provided the Polish striker with two assists in the victory which also saw Lamine Yamal score.
The win puts Barcelona back within three points of league-leaders Real Madrid and Rashford is proving to be a big part of a team challenging in both La Liga and the Champions League.
The England forward is currently on a one-year loan move from Manchester United, with Barcelona having a buy option in the deal which is reportedly worth around £30m.
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Both the player and his current club are keen to make the deal permanent, but it will almost certainly have to wait till the end of the season and not be done in January.
Former Barcelona and Portugal star Deco is not the club’s sporting director and he cannot see a permanent transfer being pushed through early.
On the possibility of making Rashford’s move permanent in January, Deco said: ‘If we are doing well and there are no surprises, I don’t think it’s necessary.
‘We know exactly where we can improve and the difficulties we face. Last season, we also went through some difficult moments and we were able to overcome them,
‘When we lower the intensity, we suffer. We need to have the best players. There are no excuses, but when you can’t make changes because of injuries and they affect our midfield. There are things to improve even when we win.’
Spanish publication SPORT report that talks are already underway for Rashford to stay at Barcelona beyond his loan deal, but there is work to be done.
The transfer fee is not an issue, as it has been agreed already, but Rashford will need to take a pay cut to stay on with the Catalan giants permanently.
His £300,000-a-week Manchester United contract is more than Barcelona can afford so he is likely to have to accept a lengthy contract on lower wages.
The 28-year-old has made it clear that his preference would be to stay with Barca, telling ESPN of the possibility last month: ‘For sure.
‘I’m enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game. For a player it is an honour.’
Despite impressing for the iconic Spanish club, there has been little talk of Rashford possibly returning to play again for the Red Devils, with manager Ruben Amorim seemingly uninterested in reintegrating the forward.
Rashford posted on Instagram after the win on Sunday: ‘Important three points away 🔵🔴 We keep working TEAM 💪🏾.’