Marcus Rashford’s hopes of a permanent move to Barcelona are hanging by a thread, with the forward now on course to be making an unwanted return to Manchester United at the end of the season.
Rashford has been on loan at Barca this season and it was widely expected that the La Liga giants would take up their €30 million option to buy him permanently after initially impressing the club with his performances.
However, the 28-year-old has since seen a decline in his form which has seen him score just two goals in his last 11 appearances in what was billed as a ‘decisive’ run of fixtures that would determine his future.
Barca had initially been hoping to extend Rashford’s stay in Catalonia but Manchester United have been adamant that they will not negotiate a fresh loan or lower the agreed fee for his permanent exit.
The situation has led The Athletic to confirm that Barca have now ‘cooled’ their interest in Rashford, with the an ‘erratic’ display in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid ‘doing him no favours’.
Club sources are said to believe that Rashford had a ‘golden chance’ to make his mark following Raphinha’s recent injury but, as things stand, Barca do not intend to trigger the buy option in his loan and the England star is now set to return to Old Trafford this summer.
Rashford fumbles Barcelona chances with Man Utd forward in transfer limbo
Rashford’s time at Barcelona started brightly, with six goals and seven assists in his first 16 appearances and sporting director Deco revealed the club were open to his stay after being impressed by his conduct.
Barca had met with Rashford’s camp in February over a permanent move where they confirmed they were happy with his performances and fit in the dressing room, while personal terms would not be a problem in any deal.
However, Rashford has only scored six goals since the start of November and Barca have now begun to consider other options to strengthen their attacking core this summer, such as activating their buy-back clause on Betis’ winger Abde Ezzalzouli.
Although Barcelona have not communicated any formal decision to Rashford, United’s hardline stance over a fee has only confirmed the Catalans’ intentions to pursue other deals.
Despite Rashford likely heading back to United, the player has no future with the Red Devils and the club will immediately look to sell him permanently to another side, with interest still expected to be strong.
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