There have been a lot of rumors that Marcus Rashford could be on Barcelona's radar. These have often been fueled by the player himself expressing that representing Barca is his dream. However, since Rashford revealed that he wanted to leave Manchester United last December, there have been few concrete links between him and the La Liga side.
Rashford has also been a player who has not lived up to expectations in recent seasons. Many put his dip in form to the player taking his foot off the gas after signing a new contract back in 2023. Barca used to be able to handpick the top Premier League players, but Rashford is not one of them right now.
Barcelona could turn to another star forward instead of Rashford. Sport has reported (translated from Spanish) that Barca are "keeping a close eye on the situation of Atalanta star Ademola Lookman. He's a player Flick likes, but his situation isn't encouraging because relations with his entourage are currently strained.
"The major handicap is that Lookman shares a representation agency with Marc-André ter Stegen, and problems with the goalkeeper are brewing. The German will push hard to stay at Barça, and this could create an awkward situation for all parties."
Ademola Lookman has gone from Premier League reject to world-beater
Lookman began his career with Charlton Athletic, whom he represented in the Championship and League One. His form in English soccer's lower divisions earned him a move to the Premier League with Everton. He did not live up to expectations at Goodison Park and had to rebuild his reputation in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig.
The forward did have chances back in the Premier League with loans at Fulham and Leicester City. He then joined Atalanta permanently, where his career took off. Lookman has scored more than 10 goals in each of the last Serie A seasons. He also scored a hat-trick in Atalanta's Europa League final victory over Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen.
He represented England up to U21 level, but then switched his allegiance to Nigeria. He has scored eight goals in 29 games for Nigeria and helped them make it to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024. He scored three goals, with one assist in that tournament, but he was unable to inspire his side to victory against the Ivory Coast at the last hurdle.
Would Ademola Lookman be a good fit at Barcelona?
Lookman is predominantly a striker but can also play on either wing and as an attacking midfielder. He would not start ahead of Robert Lewandowski up front for Barca right now. However, he could be a long-term replacement for the legendary Pole.
Barcelona does need a winger as they failed to sign Nico Williams, who ended up extending his contract with Athletic Bilbao. They are also reportedly interested in Luis Díaz, but face competition from Bayern Munich for the Liverpool player.
Lookman has also been linked with Tottenham Hotspur, but they have just signed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United. Now that they have signed the Ghanaian winger, their interest in Lookman might be over. This could pave the way for Barca to swoop in for the Atlanta forward.