Barcelona “line up Marcus Rashford for sensational Philippe Coutinho swap deal”

Good luck with that one, lads.

Marcus Rashford is reportedly a major target for Barcelona and the Catalan giants are willing to let Philippe Coutinho head in the opposite direction to pull off the deal. With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now confirmed as the Red Devils' permanent manager, on a three-year deal, the chances of the club letting Rashford leave are slim to none. With their coffers plentiful, to say the least, they are likely to demand a ridiculous fee should the striker ask to leave. Barcelona reckon they are still a big enough draw to tempt the England international to take the leap to LaLiga. He last extended his contract in 2016 and, with his deal running to 2020 with the option of a further year, no renewal has yet been signed. If a deal is possible, Mundo Deportivo claim Coutinho will be used as bait to lure United into accepting it, with fellow Brazilian winger Malcom also a possible component of a swap. Coutinho has struggled to make a massive impact at the Camp Nou since making a club record move from Liverpool just over 12 months ago. The midfielder arrived injured and, in truth, hadn't been on top form for the Reds in the months leading up to his sale. This season, he has been restricted to just 16 league starts, notching nine goals across all competitions - putting him well behind Lionel Messi's and Luis Suarez's respective tallies, as well as young winger Ousmane Dembele. The Spanish report adds that United have nonetheless already made contact with Coutinho's representatives in the hope of signing him this summer, providing Barcelona with what they see as a position of strength to negotiate an audacious bid for Rashford.