For several weeks, the only hint of potential activity at the entrance door in Barcelona with regard to the transfer market has centred around Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford. With relations between the England forward and United broken, he is looking for a loan exit until the end of the season.

Barcelona are open to bringing Rashford in, as they feel their attack could do with more depth. However it has been made clear that unless they bid farewell to another member of their squad, they will be unable to cover Rashford’s wage until the end of the season.

The players they are willing to loan or transfer, namely Ansu Fati and Andreas Christensen, do not look to be going anywhere fast, and as a result, any deal for Rashford is on the rocks. According to ReliefBarcelona believe the deal is ‘practically impossible’ and are close to pulling out of talks with United following the latest discussions on Friday.

There are other teams keen on signing Rashford on loan though, even if his preference is Barcelona. Following the exit of Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, one of those, and the most recent to join the pursuit, is Aston Villa. An official offer is yet to be made.

As time ticks on, the Rashford move to Barcelona gets more and more unlikely though, with no sign of movement from Fati and Christensen injured. It has been reported that Rashford is willing to wait it out until the final day of the transfer window for a switch to the Blaugrana, and it looks as if that resolve will be tested.

Juventus have also been linked with a loan move for Rashford, as they try to kickstart their season. Rashford’s wages are reportedly in the region of €18m per annum, and previously it has been reported that Barcelona must clear €6m in their salary limit to make the deal work.