Barcelona will have to restart transfer talks to keep Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford after this season.
The England international has had no future at Old Trafford since the start of 2025. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.
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Last summer, Manchester United let the striker go to Barcelona on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy.
The purchase clause is 30 million euros, and Barca’s sporting director Deco had already confirmed the option to make the stay permanent in February. At that point, he said, “No, it’s a loan, and we have an option to buy.”
However, the La Liga club did not mention the official timeframe or deadline for activating this purchase clause.
Cadena Sers Què T’hi Jugues shares the latest on Barcelona’s stance on Marcus Rashford and the buy-in clause.
The Catalan club had until March 31 to inform Manchester United that they want to use the €30 million purchase clause. But the deadline is over, and they didn’t tell the Red Devils about their desire to buy him before the stipulated time.
The fresh twist opens up a new scenario. Hansi Flick’s side will now have to open new negotiations with the English club if they want to extend the 27-year-old’s stay.
The Premier League team could set a new price, while the Spanish giants have no plans to go up for auction.
The latter’s plan is to extend his loan for one more season, while Michael Carrick’s side are not in favour of this. Therefore, it seems ‘very complicated’ for Rashford to stay at Barcelona after this season.
He has not scored or assisted since January, partly due to an injury, and his performances until the end of the season could be crucial to his future.
Què T’hi Jugues concludes his report by saying: ‘Today, the feeling arises that the options for Rashford’s continuity are closer to no than yes. With more doubts than certainties, and with one crucial factor: the economy. In an optimistic context in this sense, Rashford would not be the priority for the time being.’
Rashford could return to Manchester United
As of now, this claim has not been supported by another Spanish publication. If Marcus Rashford returns to Old Trafford, the Red Devils will have to make a decision about his future.
The coming weeks should provide more clarity about his long-term stay at Barcelona. If not, he may have to find another club if Manchester United don’t include him in their plans.
The Spanish report does not rule out a transfer deal around the €30 million, and United have repeatedly made it clear that they will not settle for less. Barcelona playing transfer matches with this situation have even been criticized in Spain.
On Tuesday, Barca were accused of encouraging rumours of interest in CA Osasuna winger Víctor Muñoz. The point was to show Rashford’s camp that there are other options out there.
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