Lamine Yamal spotted copying Marcus Rashford in Barcelona training as 'secret' texts between pair leaked

La Liga champions Barcelona are in Korea to continue their pre-season preparations and one of their star players has caught the eye with a surprise training ground gesture.

Lamine Yamal and his teammates are working in sweltering heat and extreme humidity in the build-up to Thursday's friendly in the Korean capital against K-League side FC Seoul.

With senior players including Raphinha raising concerns about the sweat-handling capabilities of Barca's new Nike gear, 18-year-old Yamal opted to go without when celebrating a goal.

Instead of deploying his own flavour of scoring jubilation, the teenager borrowed one from a colleague, putting his index finger to his temple in homage to his new pal Rashford.

Indeed, their contact apparently dates to months before the Manchester United striker completed his loan move to the Nou Camp.

Rashford reiterated last week that he had his heart set on Barcelona even before he agreed a loan at Aston Villa in January.

His resolve never wavered and, as other options for the left flank faded away, the England forward gradually became Barcelona's preferred option.

According to The Athletic, Rashford hasn't been shy about his intentions.

"Rashford’s only intention this summer was to join Barcelona," report Pol Ballus and Laurie Whitwell.

"If a deal could not be struck, the forward planned to stay at Manchester United, despite all the turmoil around his status at the club and his relationship with [head coach Ruben] Amorim.

"Rashford has been texting Barcelona players, including Lamine Yamal, in recent months. The dressing room was fully aware of his willingness to be a part of the squad."

The Blaugrana will follow Sunday's win against J1 League champions Vissel Kobe with back-to-back friendly fixtures against Korean opponents.

After their meeting with FC Seoul, they visit Daegu FC on Monday for the last outing of their Asia mini-tour.

What's next for Rashford and Barcelona?

They'll round off their pre-season programme with a game against Como at the Estadi Johan Cruyff in Barcelona on Sunday, August 10 and kick off their title defence against Mallorca six days later.

Rashford's competitive debut will be his first appearance for a club outside England and the 27-year-old will also make an instant return to the Champions League after he helped Villa to push eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain all the way in the quarter-finals last season.