Barcelona's English forward #14 Marcus Rashford (C) celebrates with Barcelona's Spanish midfielder #16 Fermin Lopez and Barcelona's Polish forward #09 Robert Lewandowski after scoring his team's third goal during the Spanish league football match between Elche CF and FC Barcelona at thge Martinez Valero stadium in Elche on January 31, 2026.placeholder image
Barcelona's English forward #14 Marcus Rashford (C) celebrates with Barcelona's Spanish midfielder #16 Fermin Lopez and Barcelona's Polish forward #09 Robert Lewandowski after scoring his team's third goal during the Spanish league football match between Elche CF and FC Barcelona at thge Martinez Valero stadium in Elche on January 31, 2026. | AFP via Getty Images
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is currently on loan at Barcelona, with the move containing a £26m option to buy
The ex-United midfielder has certainly made a strong impression in his opening weeks in the dugout. He has won his first three games with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Fulham on Sunday keeping the Red Devils’ top-four bid well on track.
He has also recorded wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.
Academy graduate Rashford has not played for United for over a year now, having left the club on loan to join Aston Villa for the second half of last season. Back in December 2024, he spoke of a desire for a new challenge as he did not appear to get on with previous manager Ruben Amorim.
In the summer, he joined Barcelona on a season-long loan deal with a £26m option to buy. According to Romano - Barca want to keep Rashford beyond this season but the financial picture at the La Liga giants means it is not as straight-forward as activating the purchase option.
That does leave the door open for a shock return to Old Trafford. Come the end of the season, it will be 18 months since Rashford last played competitively for United.
“Carrick really appreciates Marcus Rashford, that is for sure but, my understanding, it is that it is too early.
“Barcelona told Marcus Rashford and his camp - we want you to stay here. We want Marcus to continue beyond this season.
“They are very happy with Marcus Rashford and Rashford is happy there but then there is the financial part.
“We need to see what kind of United it will be at the end of the season, who will be the coach and is Carrick staying? There are many things to clarify.
“Barcelona want to keep Rashford but we have to see financially what will happen.”
Rashford has made 32 appearances for Barca this season, scoring 10 goals and providing 12 assists.
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