27-year old England international forward Marcus Rashford, has officially joined FC Barcelona on a season-long loan from Manchester United, with an option for the LaLiga club to make the move permanent next summer. The deal, which is for the 2025/26 season, signals a significant new chapter for the player whose Manchester United career appeared to be drawing to a close following a public fallout with manager Ruben Amorim last winter.
South South Digest understands the buy option is set at approximately £26 million ( or€30 million). Rashford will don the No. 14 shirt for the Catalan giants.
“I’m very excited,” Rashford declared at his official unveiling on Wednesday. “It’s a club where dreams come true. They win big prizes and what the club stands for really means a lot to me. It feels like I’m at home and it’s a big factor in my choice to come here. It’s a family club and people are comfortable here. It’s a good place for good players to showcase their skills.”
A statement from FC Barcelona confirmed the agreement: “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 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.”
While Barcelona is expected to cover all of Rashford’s wages during the loan spell, the club currently faces challenges in registering the forward due to LaLiga’s financial fair play rules. The Spanish champions are reported to have exceeded their spending limits on signings and wages for the 2024/25 season. LaLiga regulations dictate that clubs can only spend what they generate, necessitating Barcelona to make player sales, cut wages, or increase revenue streams to accommodate new signings. The deadline for resolving this issue is the end of August, but the club remains confident in registering Rashford and other new arrivals in time for the upcoming season, having historically overcome similar financial hurdles.
Rashford had openly expressed his desire to play for Barcelona this summer, having also shown interest in a move to the LaLiga champions in January before ultimately joining Aston Villa on loan for the latter half of the previous season. The move to Barcelona is understood to have received the direct approval of Barca head coach Hansi Flick after a personal conversation with the player.
