Barcelona Push for Permanent Marcus Rashford Transfer as Man Utd Face Post-Amorim Crossroads
Barcelona are reportedly eager to secure Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford's services beyond this season, a move that would align with the Premier League club's preferences.
Rashford made the switch to Barça on loan during the summer transfer window after being completely sidelined at his childhood club by Ruben Amorim. The 28-year-old experienced a brief adjustment period, most notably being substituted at halftime during his debut start for the team. However, his campaign has been largely positive as one of the few English players to feature in Catalonia.
As the first male England international to represent Barcelona since Gary Lineker in the 1980s, he has contributed an impressive seven goals and eight assists in all competitions. Among his current teammates, only Lamine Yamal and Fermín López have managed to surpass this tally.
While initially benefiting from injuries within Barcelona's attacking ranks, the adaptable striker hasn't yet secured a guaranteed starting position when the squad is at full strength. Rashford was on the bench when Hansi Flick's team dominated Athletic Club in Wednesday's Spanish Super Cup semifinal and isn't anticipated to start Sunday's final against Real Madrid.
Despite this, Barcelona have witnessed sufficient quality. The Athletic joined multiple publications in reporting that the Catalan club desires to retain Rashford beyond his current temporary arrangement, which concludes at season's end in June.
This agreement reportedly contains a release clause valued at €30 million (£26 million, $34.9 million), representing a significant reduction from the fees other interested parties were quoted for Rashford's permanent transfer last summer.
The report doesn't clearly indicate Barcelona's readiness to activate this clause, merely that they wish to have Rashford contracted for the 2026–27 season. Their approach to achieving this could prove characteristically inventive.
The current La Liga titleholders operate under stringent financial constraints. As coach Flick recently noted: "The reality is, the club cannot spend hundreds of millions on new signings like other teams, so we must be clever with our squad management." The specific nature of this creativity remains unclear, whether through negotiating Rashford's transfer fee or potentially pursuing another loan arrangement.
Barcelona benefit from Rashford's clear intention to stay in Spain. As recently as late December, the United youth product confirmed: "Naturally, my desire is to remain at Barça."
It seems that despite Rashford's primary antagonist departing United, the club maintains its previous stance.
Ruben Amorim Not Alone in Man Utd Disappointment With Rashford—Report
While Amorim was responsible for benching Rashford before the initial Manchester derby of the 2024–25 campaign and subsequently denying him further playing time for United, he wasn't acting independently. Amorim also stated he would prefer selecting his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital for the squad over Rashford, who was subsequently prohibited from United's training facilities until the manager departed during the summer transfer period.
Nevertheless, this wasn't Amorim's individual crusade. The Athletic reports that "United as an organization" supported the manager's demand for "greater commitment" from Rashford.
Although Amorim has since been dismissed, it appears those who remain in influential positions at United haven't altered their perspective regarding the club's most accomplished academy graduate in recent times.