Manchester United willing to offer Marcus Rashford in shock swap deal to sign Barcelona superstar: Reports
Manchester United are reportedly prepared to offer Marcus Rashford in a potential swap deal for Barcelona's Raphinha.
As per Spanish outlet TodoFichajes, the Red Devils are prepared to let their academy product leave amid interest from Barca.
The swap could benefit both teams as both Rashford and Raphinha are 26 and could use a change in scenery to reignite their careers.
Manchester United have been in poor form in front of goal this season, scoring just 16 goals in 14 Premier League games.
Marcus Rashford, too, seems to have lost his midas touch from last season. Having netted 30 goals and provided 11 assists in 56 games last campaign, he has only managed two goals and four assists in 18 games so far this time around.
Having only extended his contract in the summer, Rashford's dip in form could be a sign of complacency, or possibly a desire to try out pastures anew.
Barcelona have been after Marcus Rashford for a while but have not yet made any concrete offers to sign him. Their winger Raphinha has the same goal contributions, with two goals and four assists, albeit in 14 games across competitions.
Barca have also reportedly put the Brazilian up for sale, with a figure around £40 million believed to be enough to secure his signature.
A swap deal could be mutually beneficial but it is unlikely anything will materialize in the January transfer window considering both Manchester United and Barcelona's objectives for this season.
This could open the door for a mega swap deal involving Marcus Rashford and Raphinha next summer.
Manchester United's 8 wins only against bottom-half Premier League sides
Part of Manchester United's struggles have been their inability to stand up to other big teams, be it in domestic competitions or the Champions League.
They have lost against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray in the UCL, and failed to register a single win against any top half side they faced in the Premier League.
All of their eight wins in the Premier League have come against teams in the bottom half. On the other hand, they have lost five and drawn one of their games against top half sides, scoring just four goals and conceding 14 goals in the process.
Manchester United will face Chelsea in their next league game on Wednesday, December 6. The Blues have only just crept into the top half of the table and the Red Devils will be looking to put their best foot forward.