Marcus Rashford’s hopes of joining Barcelona permanently this summer look to be in tatters with his next club as yet unclear
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has already given the green light for a potential move to Real Madrid and a reunion with Jose Mourinho. His comments have resurfaced after the England striker’s time at Barcelona looks to have come to an end.
The 28-year-old scored 14 goals and bagged 14 assists for the Catalan giants as they won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup. His loan exploits have not been deemed enough to keep him at the club, however.
Could a sensational move to Barcelona’s bitter rivals Real now follow? Former United boss Mourinho is set to take charge of Los Blancos this summer for a second time. This could perhaps sweeten the deal for Rashford, while the club have been rumoured with a swoop for the United star.
Speaking in 2021, Rashford expressed interest in playing in La Liga, something he has now achieved with Barcelona. “I would never say no,” he said on the possibility of playing in Spain.
“Other than United? I’m a big fan of Real Madrid and Barcelona, because they’ve always had great players and played attractive football. Everybody watches Real Madrid and Barcelona.”
Rashford played regularly for Mourinho during the Portuguese’s spell at Old Trafford between 2016 and 2018, becoming one of the Premier League’s in-form attackers. However, he fell out of favour with former United boss Ruben Amorim and was loaned to Aston Villa for six months in January 2025.
He joined Barcelona in the summer of 2025. Rashford was available to Barca for £26million as part of his loan agreement, but the Spanish champions have turned down the chance to make his move permanent, according to reports in Spain. It comes after Barcelona signed Anthony Gordon for £70m from Newcastle United instead.
Marca has said that Gordon was chosen ahead of Rashford due to the winger’s ability to put in a defensive shift. They said the latter’s defending was his ‘weakest point’, and also pointed to their three-year age gap, with Gordon still only 25. Rashford’s reported £315,000-a-week wages were also said to be a concern.
Barcelona reportedly informed United that they were only willing to pay half of Rashford’s suggested fee, rounding out around £13m, which United wouldn’t entertain. It seems the player’s relationship with Barcelona is now all but over.
The Catalan side have also shown interest in a free transfer for Bernardo Silva following his Man City exit. And reports suggest they are ready to offer over £100m for Atletico Madrid’s former City forward, Julian Alvarez.
Following the news that he would not be making a permanent move to Spain, Rashford deleted all references to Barcelona from his social media channels.
His next move could be Real or a host of other clubs said to be interested, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich.
However, he could be forced to take a dramatic pay cut in order to secure a permanent move away from United. An Old Trafford comeback is also uncertain having not played for his boyhood club since December 2024.
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