EXCLUSIVE: A permanent transfer to Barcelona may not be the end of Marcus Rashford's transfer fate this summer as Manchester United watch on
Marcus Rashford is enjoying a productive season at Barcelona
Marcus Rashford is enjoying a productive season at Barcelona(Image: GSI/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Marcus Rashford could be braced for a Premier League comeback this summer, even if Barcelona decide to sign him from Manchester United. The Catalan giants always saw value in his loan-to-buy agreement - so much so they considered selling him straight on to help their own ongoing financial issues.
That's according to La Liga insider Guillem Balague, who has peeled back the hood and revealed Barca's thinking on the matter. Rashford, 28, has surprised many with just how productive he has been in Spain, making his £26 million purchase option that much more appealing.
United were surprised to learn Barcelona wanted to negotiate his price down even further. Doing so would not only save them money in the short term but could net the Spanish giants an even greater profit should one of United's Premier League rivals come calling for his signature in the same transfer window.
"It was a loan because they couldn't pay for him, but £30m, they thought that if he did what was expected, they would pay for it," Balague told MEN Sport. "Hopefully, they thought the finances would be in a situation where they didn't need to negotiate that.
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
"But [Barcelona sporting director] Deco spoke to people at Aston Villa and Manchester United, and they were surprised that Manchester United let him go and that the price was only £30m at 27. So they found it was an opportunity in the market.
"There were two possibilities: If they liked him and did well, they buy him. But they could buy him anyway and sell him on in the Premier League still because he's got obviously a big market there. But his idea was always to stay. The club hadn't decided until recently what to do."
Guillem Balagué, Spanish journalist and author reporting for TNT Sports ahead of the Premier League match between Everton FC and Arsenal FC at Goodison Park
European football expert Guillem Balague has revealed key information regarding Barcelona's potential strategy for Marcus Rashford(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Barcelona reserve the exclusive right to buy Rashford at £26m. The club also harboured hopes Premier League clubs could hold an interest in paying a premium after his period in the shop window.
With that in mind, the signals right now appear to suggest Barca would be content keeping Rashford in-house. After all, it's not every day a player of his talent at this stage of their career is available for such an affordable sum.
That goes double for a club in Barcelona's current financial position, where the recent renovation costs of the Camp Nou are still weighing heavy. Kieran Maguire told MEN Sport in December how Barca's spending power this summer could be dictated by title success in the Champions League, for example, illustrating just how precarious their financial position is at present.
The price Barcelona are willing to sell Rashford for could also still represent a saving on whatever United might charge to a domestic rival. Therefore, it may interest a club like Villa, where he spent the second half of the 2024/25 campaign, to find out Barca's terms.
FOLLOW OUR MAN UNITED FB PAGE! Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester United Facebook page
Rashford's revival began during his temporary spell in Birmingham. Unai Emery got a new tune out of the forward after his fortunes dipped under then-United manager Ruben Amorim, with Rashford playing a particularly important role in helping Villa advance in the Champions League.
Emery's side ultimately didn't exercise the £40m purchase clause included in the player's contract. But 12 months on, there could be an opportunity for the club, or any of their Premier League rivals, to buy him for around the same fee (or less) while Barca still net a tidy profit for their role.
Balague - whose latest book, Rise of the Villans, explores Emery's miracle work in Birmingham - suggests Barca always had the possibility of selling for quick profit in the back of their mind should they ultimately decide not to keep Rashford themselves. He suggests that now, however, the chances of such a quick fire sale have diminished following his impressive form for Barcelona.
"Now they want to keep him," he added. "They want to lower the £26m [€30m], but Manchester United will not touch that. And also, in the next few years, they want to offer less wages to Rashford."