Barcelona are understood to want Marcus Rashford to stay at the club beyond the end of this season, but a deal doesn’t appear straightforward.
At the end of the season, Barcelona will have an option to make Marcus Rashford’s loan move permanent with their £26 million buy clause that was inserted in the contract when Rashford left Manchester United in the summer.
Rúben Amorim named Rashford in his “Bomb Squad” alongside Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia and Jadon Sancho, meaning he was on a priority list to move out of Old Trafford before the start of the new season.
Due to his form on loan at Aston Villa for the last six months of the 2024/25 season, Rashford was not short of suitors, and Barcelona would be hard to turn down for the majority of players looking for Champions League football.
Back to present day, Rashford has impressed during his loan spell with 10 goals and 10 assists in 34 appearances for Hansi Flick’s side. While he has not always been a starter, his form speaks for itself.
Many would consider the £26 million buy option to be a bargain for a player like Rashford, especially as he’s now back in the England squad under Thomas Tuchel, but Barcelona are looking to negotiate a cheaper fee before the end of the campaign.
Romano reveals Barcelona’s Rashford response
United are said to be annoyed with the low fee in Rashford’s loan deal, so are unlikely to go any lower, despite Barcelona’s pleas. With that being said, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is “keen” to keep Rashford at the club.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has issued a new update on his YouTube channel. He said: “What Barcelona did in the recent days and weeks is tell Marcus Rashford in a very clear way, ‘We want you to stay. We are very happy with you.’ That’s the message from Barcelona, and also from the coach, Hansi Flick.
“Rashford has the same feeling – he wants to stay at Barcelona. Now, the negotiations on the contract terms between Rashford and Barca are underway, and it’s going very well. Barcelona, financially, are talking about the salary and are making progress to reach an agreement.
“Then, there is the club-to-club side. Barcelona want to negotiate on the €30 million (£26 million) buy option clause. Man United’s message remains very clear: ‘We want that money. If you want Rashford, pay, or the player is not joining.’”
Rashford’s stance on the move could help Barcelona in negotiations, but with United needing a big summer of incomings themselves, anything lower than £26 million will be swiftly rejected.
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What do United need this summer?
Focusing solely on what United must bring in, the priority is finding a replacement for Casemiro in central midfield, though that doesn’t factor in the ongoing managerial search. Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox are set for a busy few months.
Read More: Senne Lammens continues to prove Rúben Amorim was blissfully wrong about him at Man Utd
The other focuses for United’s recruitment department will be a new left-winger, a left-back and potentially another midfielder to rotate in for the Champions League or Europa League.
Manchester City won the race for Antoine Semenyo in January, beating out United in a move that is now a huge blow for Carrick. With Patrick Dorgu injured, United have no natural left-sided attackers who like to stay wide, as Matheus Cunha prefers to come inside and leave the space for the full-back.
Luke Shaw’s current role doesn’t allow him to do that too often, so perhaps a more attacking left-back is needed in the summer – unless Harry Amass can play that role.
Casemiro will leave a huge hole in the side when he leaves, so replacing him with just one player could be tricky. Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana is the closest profile to the Brazilian, but signing him will not be easy, as was recently confirmed.
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