Marcus Rashford joins Barcelona: Man Utd forward completes season-long loan move to LaLiga club

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has completed a season-long loan move to Barcelona.

The agreed loan deal is for the 2025/26 season with an option to buy him next summer. Sky Sports News understands the option price is around £26m (€30m).

Rashford will wear the No 14 shirt.

A Barcelona statement said: “FC Barcelona and Manchester United have reached an agreement for the loan of the player Marcus Rashford until 30 June 2026. The agreement also establishes an option to buy the English forward.

“The player has signed his contract as a Barça player this afternoon at a private meeting in the presence of the FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta; the director of the Football Area, and other Board members.”

Barcelona are expected to cover all of Rashford’s wages during the proposed loan, although they are currently unable to register the forward due to LaLiga’s financial rules.

The Spanish champions are deemed to have spent more on signings and wages than they made in revenue for the 2024/25 season.

LaLiga’s rules dictate that clubs can only spend as much as they generate, so Barcelona will be required to make sales, cut wages or increase their revenue streams to make space for new signings.

The deadline for this issue to be resolved is the end of August. Barcelona are confident of registering Rashford and their other new signings in time for the new season.

Despite their long-standing financial issues, the Catalan club have always eventually been able to register their new signings in time despite these challenges.

England international Rashford had publicly said he would like to play for the Catalans this summer and had been interested in a move to the LaLiga champions in January, before joining Aston Villa on loan.

Rashford’s move is understood to have been given the green light by Barca head coach Hansi Flick after he spoke with the player.

It is thought Liverpool forward Luis Diaz was a priority target, but Barcelona’s advances were rejected earlier in the window.

The academy graduate is one of five players who have been given extra time off to explore potential moves away this summer.

Rashford’s career at Old Trafford has appeared to be over since Ruben Amorim claimed he would rather put his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach on the bench than the forward because of what he considers a lack of effort.

Rashford the big winner

Sky Sports Football’s Nick Wright:

Manchester United get a player with no future under Ruben Amorim off their books and free up considerable space on their wage bill. Barcelona acquire a potentially world-class forward without having to commit to signing him on a permanent deal.

But the biggest winner in Marcus Rashford’s move from Old Trafford to Camp Nou on loan with an option to buy is the player himself. He swaps a side that finished 15th in the Premier League last term for one which won a domestic double and rank among this season’s favourites to win the Champions League.

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