Updated: 17 Jun 2026 07:56 BST |
5 min read
Marcus Rashford finally knows the next step his career will take – for the next few weeks at least.
The winger is currently with England on World Cup duty, yet at club level he is returning to Manchester United after his loan with Barcelona officially ended with the Catalan side refusing to match his €30 million release fee.
Rashford had done everything in his power to make a deal possible, even showing a willingness to revise agreed personal terms in a bid to make a transfer more attractive for the Spanish champions.
“From today, Marcus Rashford is no longer a Barcelona player,” Fabrizio Romano announced.
“The €30m buy option included in the agreement between Manchester United and Barcelona has expired and Barcelona never intended to activate it. This is not because Barcelona don’t like the player. They remain interested in Rashford, but the financial conditions of the deal, both in terms of transfer fee and salary, created problems for Barcelona.”
So the next move of the 28-year-old is to return to Old Trafford, but what happens now?
Widespread interest in Rashford
Everything is still open for Rashford, who has had numerous suitors from around the Premier League, including Tottenham and Aston Villa. Spurs, though, are progressing on a deal to sign Savinho from Manchester City, potentially closing that door.
He has a €40m release clause in his Man Utd deal – open to everyone but Liverpool and Manchester City – making him an attractive prospect given his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) sits at €38.6m.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have not discounted revisiting his case, although for any deal to be concluded, they will likely need a dramatic shift in Manchester United’s stance.
“Barcelona remain in conversations with Rashford’s camp about the possibility of keeping him for one more season on loan. But Manchester United are not so keen on another loan. They want to explore different opportunities and also assess Rashford’s future under Michael Carrick,” Romano confirmed.
Bayern Munich had held an interest in the player, yet his refusal to back down on his salary put the Bundesliga side off making a move and they have instead opted to sign Ismael Saibari in a €55m deal from PSV.
Could Rashford stay at Man Utd?
Carrick has publicly indicated that he is open to Rashford staying at the club to see out the final two years of his contract.
Speaking in April, the Man Utd manager explained: “There’s decisions to be made on certain things, and obviously Marcus is in that situation.
“But at this point in time, nothing’s been decided. It will be, because it has to be at a certain point, but at this stage, there’s nothing to say.
“Whoever’s here, I want to work with, and help them improve.
“At the moment, it’s this squad of players. There’s obviously players on loan, and whatever happens with that later on will happen. But certainly, as a coach, and leader of a squad, we want to get the best out of everyone.”
Rashford’s wages, though, remain an impediment to his stay. He reportedly has a gross wage of around €19.5 million, per Capology, and with owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe striving to achieve value for money at every turn, it’s unclear how the winger might fit plans. His salary would be the highest at the club, eclipsing even Bruno Fernandes.
Carrick may be open to working with Rashford, but those above the manager at Old Trafford are less keen.
Indeed, the very fact that United were involved in a hijack attempt of Saibari’s Bayern move and are actively trying to sign West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville points to the fact that the plan is for Rashford to move again this summer.
A saga that will run and run
Last season, Rashford’s future was only decided in August, and the way his situation is shaping up currently, there promises to be no quick resolution to his case.
After the World Cup, he will return to Man Utd but thereafter everything remains open. Nothing is certain and nothing can be discounted.
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