Barcelona are making progress towards signing Marcus Rashford on a permanent deal from Manchester United in the summer.
The Athletic reported in January Barcelona want Rashford, 28, to stay at the club beyond the end of his loan spell.
Sources with knowledge of discussions, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, indicated the England international’s representatives held positive talks with Barcelona sporting director Deco this week, and both parties believe they are well-placed to make the move permanent this summer.
The deal is just at the verbal stage and as things stand nothing has been agreed, with various factors including the upcoming Barcelona presidential elections, Barca’s salary limit and how the remainder of the 2025-26 season unfolds complicating the move.
Barcelona have encountered problems registering new signings in recent seasons due to their difficult financial situation and have frequently deployed short-term solutions — which the club described as ‘economic levers’ — to navigate this.
Barcelona sources indicated the Spanish champions intend to pay the €30million (£26.9m) buy option included in the loan deal agreed with Manchester United last summer by paying three €10m (£8.8m) instalments across three years.
Barca sources also said that while a multi-year contract had been proposed for Rashford, the club’s policy is not to tie themselves to lengthy deals with players aged over 30 — Rashford turns 30 in October 2027, meaning Barca are unlikely to offer him a long-term contract.
He is one of United’s top earners but sources close to the player believe his salary will not be a hurdle in the proposed transfer.
The move for the United academy product is not expected to stop Barca’s pursuit for a central striker this summer. The future of Robert Lewandoski, 37, remains uncertain, with his contract expiring in June.
Rashford joined Barca on a season-long loan in August and has made 34 appearances in all competitions, providing 10 goals and 13 assists.
The forward fell out of favour under former United head coach Ruben Amorim, but the decision to allow him to depart was not purely down to the Portuguese.
United as a club had wanted more in terms of application from him — who is one of the club’s top earners — and The Athletic reported after Amorim’s dismissal in January that his exit had not immediately changed anything regarding Rashford’s future.
