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Door now wide open to Arsenal to seal £40m deal for Man Utd star they’ve been ‘monitoring’ since May

Should they retain their interest, Arsenal now know exactly how much a deal for Marcus Rashford would cost this summer.

MailSport claimed back in May that the Gunners, along with Bayern Munich, had been‘monitoring’ the forward’s situation in case Barcelona decided against activating his £26 million buy clause.

Marcus Rashford: The state of play ahead of Barcelona loan expiring

That has since proven to be the case, as the option expired on Monday without the Blaugrana meeting Manchester United’s demands.

Now, it has been revealed that Rashford’s contract actually contains a £40 million release clause for any club except arch-rivals Liverpool and Manchester City.

🚨 Marcus Rashford deal at Man Utd includes £40m clause for all clubs bar #MCFC & #LFC. €30m buy option in Barcelona loan expired yesterday. If returns to #MUFC 28yo’s preference is to honour contract (2028) rather than join another PL side @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/I9A74Ko3TI

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 16, 2026

Any potential suitors, such as Arsenal and Bayern, may feel aggrieved at the fact that he was much cheaper for Barcelona, but Rashford’s form throughout last season is perhaps deserving of such a fee.

Indeed, £26m for a 28-year-old with 14 goals and 14 assists to his name in all competitions would’ve been a steal, hence why it has come as such a surprise that the La Liga giants turned their noses up at it.

Competition Appearances (starts) Goals Assists Minutes played

La Liga 32 (18) 8 9 1,762

Champions League 11 (5) 5 4 579

Copa del Rey 4 (3) 1 1 249

Stats courtesy of Transfermarkt

Barcelona instead pursued and completed a £70m deal for Anthony Gordon, who put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Camp Nou before jetting off to begin his World Cup preparations with England.

Why are Arsenal interested in Rashford?

Arsenal, on the other hand, are still in the market for a prolific forward, with Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli both facing uncertain futures at the Emirates.

There is also a chance that Leandro Trossard, who returned six goals and six assists to play his part in Arsenal’s title-winning campaign, departs North London for pastures new, meaning reinforcements in Mikel Arteta’s frontline will be essential before 2026/2027 gets underway.