Marcus Rashford may have suffered a potential setback to his ambitions of departing Manchester United to secure a permanent move to Barcelona. Rashford left United last summer to join the La Liga giants on a loan deal until the conclusion of the season.

Barcelona hold the option to sign Rashford from United in the summer for a fee of €30million (£26million), and there have been numerous reports claiming to provide insight into what the Spanish club might do once the transfer window reopens. Rashford made clear his desire to leave United last summer and has spoken openly about his wish to remain at the Camp Nou beyond the current campaign.

Nevertheless, reports in recent weeks have cast doubt over whether Barcelona will actually complete a deal for Rashford in the summer or instead pursue alternative targets. Benfica star Andreas Schjelderup has previously been linked with Barcelona, and has been identified as a possible alternative to Rashford should the La Liga outfit decide to look elsewhere.

Portuguese publication Record reported that Benfica are 'open' to selling Schjelderup amid speculation that Barcelona could move swiftly to...