Marcus Rashford is reported to have made his mind up where he wants to play next season, albeit he is still only in the early stages of a loan with Barcelona and his long-term future is far from certain due to the Catalan club's delicate financial situation. The England international fell out of favour with Ruben Amorim last season at Manchester United and any sort of reunion there seems unlikely.
Rashford's strong Barcelona stats
Rashford is thriving in Spanish football, where there is more focus on attacking and technique. The England international has contributed a combined six goals and assists in his last seven La Liga appearances – that included setting up Barcelona's only goal strike Sunday's 2-1 defeat in El Clasico. He's also got six Champions League goal contributions in only three matches. That is a far cry from his lowly tallies in his final 18 months at boyhood club United, before first heading out on loan to Aston Villa 10 months ago when Amorim had accused Rashford of lacking the required level of application to warrant playing time. But with his loan agreement at Barcelona only including an option to buy rather than an obligation – the like of which Villa did not trigger – there is no guarantee where Rashford will be come 2026-27.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportRashford wants to stay at Barcelona
According to the central European edition of out of Switzerland, Rashford wants to make his stay at Barcelona permanent. The club are described as "closely monitoring" how things are going. Already known, the option to buy stands at £28 million ($37m), which is reportedly significantly less than United would ask from other clubs – that figure is now as much as £40m ($53m). Ultimately, the better Rashford performs, the more the Red Devils might be able to demand in an open market if, for whatever reason, Barcelona do not use their lower-priced option.
Speaking last week about his situation, Rashford told : "I'm enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game. For a player it is an honour."
Can Barcelona afford Rashford?
Even if they want to keep Rashford from a sporting perspective because of his impressive contributions on the pitch, the biggest obstacle that may prevent the player from remaining in Catalonia is financial. Having made a net loss in 2024-25, despite revenue totalling nearly €1 billion (£870m/$1.16bn), Barcelona are still not in a place of ideal financial health.
The same problems with player registrations that have plagued several recent summers persisted again during the most recent transfer window. Rashford had to wait for his registration until the 11th hour before the first game of the season, while it was only possible to get new goalkeeper Joan Garcia on the pitch after risking going to war with club captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Rashford agreed to a 25% pay cut in order to join Barcelona, making it possible for the club to cover his entire salary, which was an obvious source of appeal to Man Utd when they could have been liable for ongoing costs otherwise.
GettyNo future for Rashford at Man Utd
The only thing that feels vaguely certain is that Rashford, who has a contract with United until 2028, won't be reintegrated into that squad unless there are drastic changes. He seemed to point blame towards the "inconsistent environment" at Old Trafford for his drop in output since a career best 30-goal season in 2022-23, which led ex-club captain Roy Keane to hit back by saying Rashford was part of the problem. "Towards the end of his time at United, there was obviously issues," Keane during an appearance. "He was part of the problem with the environment, especially [as] one of the most experienced players at United. He should have been setting the standards and showing new people at he club what it’s like to be a United player."
Things suddenly look much different at United, with the pressure that was building on Amorim relieved by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's public show of faith and a consistent run of improved results. From finally achieving back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since the Portuguese took charge in November 2024, United have now put together three in a row for the first time since a run of games that straddled May and August 2024.