The idea has been agreed to by United and although it is not yet a done deal, talks between all parties are now at the final stages.

The justification for this shift in stance—less than six weeks ago, Deco explicitly named Rashford as a player Barcelona “liked”—is the preference for Liverpool forward Luis Díaz. The Colombia international is deemed to be more versatile, more experienced and more willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the team than Rashford.

Marcus Rashford is on the verge of a season-long loan move to Barcelona after Man United gave permission for him to open talks, sources told ESPN.