Marcus Rashford transfer: Man Utd and Barcelona close to agreement over initial loan move as forward jets to Spain
Barcelona and Manchester United in broad agreement over initial loan move for England forward Marcus Rashford, who has previously indicated his desire to play for the LaLiga side; Rashford's Man Utd career has appeared over since a public fall-out with Ruben Amorim last winter
Monday 21 July 2025 11:56, UK
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is closing in on a loan move to Barcelona that could become permanent.
There is an agreement in principle between the clubs for the 27-year-old, who flew to Spain on Sunday to complete the move.
The deal under discussion would give Barcelona the option to buy Rashford at the end of the season and the talks have centred around what that fee would be.
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Barcelona are expected to cover all of Rashford's wages during the proposed loan.
The England international has publicly said he would like to play for Barcelona this summer and was interested in a move to the Catalan club in January before joining Aston Villa on loan.
Asked by a Spanish influencer if he would like to play alongside Lamine Yamal, Rashford said: "Yes, for sure. Everyone wants to play with the best. Hopefully... we'll see."
Rashford's potential move is understood to have been given the green light by head coach Hansi Flick after he spoke with the player.
It is thought Liverpool forward Luis Diaz was a priority target, but Barcelona's advances were rejected earlier in the window.
Rashford will still have two years left on his United deal when this proposed loan move ends.
The academy graduate is one of five players who have been given extra time off to explore potential moves away this summer.
Rashford's career at Old Trafford has appeared to be over since Ruben Amorim claimed he would rather put his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach on the bench than the forward because of what he considers a lack of effort.
Sheringham: Rashford doesn't deserve Barcelona move
Teddy Sheringham does not believe Manchester United forward Rashford deserves to join Barcelona after what he feels has been a "soul-destroying" episode.
"If you assess where Marcus Rashford is at as a professional footballer, you strive as a youngster to get to the very top and play for clubs like Manchester United, and when you're there, you appreciate it," the ex-United player told Sky Bet. "You don't throw it away and say you want to leave.
"I find the whole episode very soul-destroying, compared to the way I was back in the day and how I strove to get the privilege to play for such a huge football club.
"To hear someone talking the way he is talking, saying he wants out - I didn't like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doing that at Arsenal, I thought it was soul-destroying, and I hope Rashford doesn't get the move that he's hankering for.
"From my perspective, if you go from Manchester United to Barcelona, that's a step up that he hasn't deserved."
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