Barcelona will sign Marcus Rashford permanently. Sources confirm the decision is made: the club will activate the €30 million buy option in his loan agreement with Manchester United and offer the 28-year-old a three-year contract running through 2029.
According to Spanish outlet Sport, the call was unanimous. Both sporting director Deco and head coach Hansi Flick pushed for it. The internal view at Camp Nou, per the report, is that finding a player of Rashford's level at that price would be "virtually impossible" in this market.
Barcelona tried to negotiate a lower fee. That door is shut. Sport adds that United will not reduce the clause "by a single euro." So it's €30 million, take it or leave it. Barcelona are taking it.
Rashford, for his part, wants this too. The Mirror reported earlier this week that the forward has no intention of going back to Old Trafford and is willing to renegotiate his wages downward if it helps get the deal done. That salary flexibility matters. Barcelona's wage structure under La Liga's financial fair play rules has limited their room to manoeuvre for years, and Rashford accepting reduced terms gives them breathing space for other summer targets, namely a centre-forward and a left-sided centre-back.
The numbers back up Barcelona's thinking. In the Champions League alone, Rashford has five goals and three assists in eight appearances this season, per UEFA's official stats. In La Liga, FotMob records four goals and six assists. He has also chipped in across the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. Across all competitions, his tally sits somewhere north of fifteen direct goal contributions in roughly thirty appearances. Not bad for a player who arrived on loan, sat on the bench plenty, and was still finding his feet in a new country as recently as October.
There's a quote from Flick that sums it up. "When Rashford stays on the bench, it shows what a remarkable squad Barcelona have," the German coach said earlier this season. That's a manager telling you his substitute option is a full England international with Champions League pedigree who just happens to be on a temporary deal.
Worth remembering how Rashford ended up here. Eighteen months ago he was frozen out at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim, who at one point said he'd rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench. That's not paraphrasing. That's what Amorim said. Rashford went to Aston Villa on loan in January 2025. Did well under Unai Emery, scored four goals and added five assists in seventeen appearances. Villa had a £40 million buy option but didn't trigger it. Barcelona moved in the following July, and Rashford became the first British player to wear the Blaugrana shirt since Gary Lineker left in 1989. He chose the number 14. A nod to Thierry Henry.
For United, the €30 million is pure profit on a player whose wages they've been desperate to get off the books. Michael Carrick, who took over from Amorim in December, has built his squad around different profiles anyway. The money will reportedly be reinvested this summer as United look to strengthen out wide, with Yan Diomande of Lyon among the names mentioned by FootballTransfers.
TalkSPORT reported that Barcelona and United held a meeting at the start of February where two scenarios were discussed: either negotiate a reduced fee this summer or extend the loan another year with a conditional purchase obligation. With United refusing to budge on price, the first option won out. Barcelona will pay up. The paperwork is expected to be finalised before the end of the season.
Rashford plays against Mallorca on Friday night. If reports are right, it will be one of his last games as a loan player at Camp Nou. By summer, he'll be a Barcelona player for real.
