Marcus Rashford’s transfer story takes a surprising turn after his first game for Man Utd in 20 months.
There’s still a chance Marcus Rashford could leave Manchester United before the summer transfer window closes, according to a new report — and Barcelona might still be involved.
Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona, the current La Liga champions, and just recently came back to his first club, joining Michael Carrick’s squad at their pre-season camp in Ireland.
Last week, he played his first game for United since December 2024 in a 4-2 loss against AC Milan, managed by Ruben Amorim.
Michael Carrick seems open to using Rashford in the coming months, especially after Barcelona decided not to trigger the €30 million (£25.9m) buy option in his loan deal.
Earlier this month, Rashford seemed to say goodbye to Barcelona with a heartfelt message: “I’m very grateful to everyone at the club for making my time here such a positive and memorable experience.”
But now, there are reports that Barcelona are still talking with Rashford’s representatives, with TEAMtalk saying the club is “firmly in the picture” as they look at their attacking options.
Several clubs have shown interest in Rashford, but money is making it tricky to agree on a deal. Barcelona, though, are still in discussions about what would be a surprising return to the club.
The report explains: “Barcelona remain one of those suitors and sources have described the unusual situation where a return to Catalonia could still happen.”
Last month, Barcelona’s coach Hansi Flick praised Rashford after their win over Birmingham City. He also said he’ll miss the striker, who scored 14 goals and made 14 assists last season.
“You never know what happens with players on loan – our situation isn’t easy,” Flick said. “But I’ve enjoyed working with him. He’s not only a fantastic player but a great person. The team will miss him, I will miss him, but that’s how it goes.”
Manchester United would prefer Rashford not to move to a rival club in England, according to ESPN.
With that in mind, earlier reports said Turkish club Fenerbahce are ready to offer a big deal to bring Rashford to Istanbul — a move that would be one of the biggest this summer.
The Sun said Rashford’s team has already been contacted by Fenerbahce, whose new manager Ismail Kartal will get strong support as they try to challenge Galatasaray in the league.