Updated: 22 May 2026 12:20 BST |
4 min read
Marcus Rashford has won over Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick, who wants the club to sign the Manchester United attacker on a permanent basis.
Rashford joined Barca on loan last summer, but despite strong performances, the Blaugrana have been reluctant to meet the purchase option of €30 million in the agreement.
The 28-year-old has already agreed personal terms with the Camp Nou club and has shown a willingness to adjust his demands to make a move happen.
Barcelona, though, have been more resistant to completing the deal due to financial reasons. The club needs to invest in several positions across the field, with their main transfer spend set for the centre-forward and central defensive areas. In particular, a replacement for Robert Lewandowski promises to eat up much of their budget, with Chelsea’s Joao Pedro unlikely to move for anything less than €100m, according to ESPN Brasil.
While a wide attacker is also on their shopping list, it does not have the same priority.
Head coach Hansi Flick, though, may be about to play a crucial role in Rashford securing his dream move to Barca.
Flick makes Rashford transfer decision
Flick has “decided to take a chance” on Rashford, according to Mundo Deportivo, with the German coach ready to lobby the board to keep him at the club permanently.
The Catalan source claims that recent performances, particularly his Champions League displays against Atletico Madrid, have helped win the coach over. Prior to those fixtures, his future “hung in the balance”.
But Flick has been won over by Rashford, who was Barcelona’s ‘Plan C’ behind Luis Diaz and Nicolas Williams last summer.
This suggests that Barcelona will trigger the €30m buyout fee from Man Utd and keep the attacker on a permanent basis.
Barcelona to pay €3m for wonderkid Abdelkarim
While Barcelona appear to be edging towards an agreement for Rashford, they are ready to trigger the €3m purchase clause that will see them sign Hamza Abdelkarim on a permanent basis from Egyptian side Al-Ahly, Mundo Deportivo confirms.
Abdelkarim, who has been called up to the World Cup by his nation and will play alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, has featured for Barca’s youth teams and has impressed coaches at La Masia.
He has yet to feature either for Barca’s first team while a bureaucratic issue has prevented him from playing for the ‘B’ team. Nevertheless, it is claimed that he has “caused a stir” around La Masia thanks to his performances.
Barca have yet to make a deal official, but their desire to retain the 18-year-old is said to have already been decided.
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