Online Reporter
BARCELONA WILL not sign Manchester United outcast Marcus Rashford.
The Spanish champions have declined their option to buy Rashford for £26million, having signed fellow English left winger Anthony Gordon for £69.3million last month.
Rashford, 28, scored 14 goals for Barca during a season-long loan last season and wanted to stay in Catalonia. But Barca’s sudden swoop for Gordon, who is three-and-a-half years younger than his England team-mate, effectively ended Rashford’s chances of a permanent deal.
Rashford now faces uncertainty if or when he returns to his parent club, having not played for United in 18 months.
Former United coach Ruben Amorim banished Rashford over his attitude in December 2024 and he joined Aston Villa on loan in the 2025 winter transfer window.
Rashford was placed in United’s “bomb squad” at the start of pre-season last summer and Barcelona brought in Rashford after missing out on Nico Williams and Luis Diaz.
United even handed Rashford’s squad number to new No10 Matheus Cunha before the England international joined Barcelona.
Even though United sacked Amorim in January, there has been no indication that they want to reintegrate Rashford back into their squad.
Rashford is about to enter the final two years of his contract and his salary will increase to £325,000-a-week as United have qualified for the Champions League. United lack a specialist left winger, having sold Alejandro Garnacho last year and released Jadon Sancho, but Cunha has shone from the left and Patrick Dorgu has also stepped up into that role. Rashford will be entitled to a three-week break after the World Cup and, depending on when England’s campaign ends, Rashford could be present for United’s training camp in Ireland.
United have scheduled six pre-season friendlies in Europe but will be spending a week in Ireland to coincide with their Dublin match against Leeds United.
That camp begins around three weeks after the World Cup final, ensuring all tournament participants can be reunited with their club team-mates. Rashford has hardly endeared himself to United amid his time away from the club. He approved of former team-mate Garnacho’s antagonistic social media post last year when he donned a “Rashford 9” Villa shirt.
Rashford also thanked Villa coach Unai Emery, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick and England coach Thomas Tuchel following his World Cup squad call-up last month for “believing in me when things got tough”.
He immediately took to social media afterwards to deny claims it was a dig at United.—Sun.
