Marcus Rashford wants to stay at Barcelona, but the move that seemed close to becoming permanent has stalled again as talks with Manchester United drag on. The two clubs have spent months discussing his future and still have not reached an agreement.
Manchester United are standing firm on their £26.2million valuation, while Barcelona remain reluctant to pay the fee. Rashford, who has spent the 2025/26 season on loan at Barca, had already agreed in principle to a three-year contract that would have cut his Old Trafford wages by 40 per cent, but he is now prepared to tear up that arrangement and sign a five-year deal instead.
The numbers help explain why Barcelona remain interested. Rashford has 14 goals and 14 assists in 48 games, and the club have been impressed by his output this season. His preference has not changed throughout the campaign: he wants to stay at Barcelona, even as the discussions have become more complicated.
Barcelona’s financial constraints are a major reason the negotiations have not been completed. The club would prefer another loan move, but United will not allow another temporary spell and have made clear that Rashford must leave permanently or not at all. The contract length also matters, because it affects how the £26.2million fee would be amortised across the deal.
Rashford’s situation is tangled further by the collapse in his relationship with United under Ruben Amorim, though a return to Old Trafford is not entirely off the table now that Amorim is no longer in charge. Michael Carrick is expected to be named permanent manager in the coming days, adding a new layer to a transfer saga that has been open for months and still has no finish line in sight.
