Barcelona drop new Marcus Rashford hint as Man Utd wait to receive transfer bid

Barcelona's sporting director Deco has insisted that the club's immediate focus will be on securing the futures of their current players before actively pursuing new signings, which could include Manchester United's Marcus Rashford.

Barca have recently secured extensions for key assets, with both Raphinha and Lamine Yamal signing fresh terms. Wojciech Szczesny is mulling over an offer, while Barcelona are in talks with defenders Inigo Martinez and Eric Garcia regarding their long-term commitments. As well as this, Deco has confirmed expectations of adding 'two, three or four new faces' to their line-up.

Amongst the potential new arrivals could be Rashford, after his agent and brother, Dwaine Maynard, was spotted meeting with Deco in Catalunya last week. The English forward has been made available for transfer by Man United, following a loan spell at Aston Villa who hold an option to purchase him for £40 million - an option they now seem unlikely to exercise.

Rashford considers Barcelona his ideal destination but must wait as the Blaugrana first address contract renewals. "We have been focusing on renewing contracts, after that, we'll discuss players to come," Deco relayed to , implying any pursuit of the England star would be secondary to internal negotiations, with Liverpool star Luis Diaz also linked with a move to the Nou Camp.

Deco stated: "Of course, these two players, like you mentioned, they are good but have contracts in their clubs, so we won't speak because it's not fair. But when you decide to go to the market, for sure, we find some names. In my opinion, we don't need to bring many players.

"When I speak with the agents of the players, everyone wants to come or stay. So this is important. The image of the club is still good. We are proud because Barcelona is still such a big club, and the way we are playing football makes players want to come."

Deco also confirmed that Barcelona will not be selling their top players, despite the club's delicate financial situation. The newly crowned La Liga champions dominated Spanish football in Hansi Flick's inaugural season at the helm and came agonisingly close to reaching the Champions League final.

Flick branded both Rashford and Diaz as "fantastic players" when asked about the pair last month. "I don't want to talk about players who aren't part of my team, but they're both fantastic players and I like them," the German said. "We'll see what happens."