Marcus Rashford has no plan to join Real Madrid and is only focused on Barcelona next season, even as Jose Mourinho prepares to return to Madrid this summer. The forward wants to stay at Barcelona, where he is on loan now, and there is no sign he is entertaining a move to the Spanish capital.
That stance matters because Mourinho, who managed Rashford at Manchester United, has been linked with a possible reunion at Real Madrid. The Independent journalist Miguel Delaney wrote in his Inside Football Newsletter on May 15 that if there is significant change, some sources close to the situation say Mourinho may add even more intrigue by going for Rashford. Delaney also said Mourinho has an existing good relationship with Rashford and would love to do it for two reasons: to get a good player he knows and to cause disruption for Barcelona.
Rashford’s on-field case at Barcelona is strong enough to explain why the club would like to keep him. In the 2025/26 campaign, he scored 14 goals and provided 14 assists in 46 matches in all competitions, form that has strengthened Hansi Flick’s desire to keep him at Camp Nou. Barcelona have the option to make his loan permanent for €30million, or £26m, but they are not willing to trigger that clause.
Instead, Barcelona want a new loan deal for Rashford and then hope to make the move permanent in 2027. Manchester United are unwilling to accept Barcelona’s current terms, which leaves the clubs at odds over how to structure any continued stay. That dispute is the real obstacle for Barcelona, not Madrid.
The Real Madrid talk has been driven more by Mourinho’s return than by Rashford’s own intentions. Mundo Deportivo reported that Rashford has no interest whatsoever in a switch to Madrid and said he is only focused on playing for Barcelona next season and staying at the Camp Nou. The Spanish club may still want to hold onto him, but the numbers and the negotiating positions suggest that getting there will be difficult.
For now, Rashford’s future sits between a Barcelona side that wants him but does not want to pay up, and a Manchester United side that is not prepared to bend. Mourinho may soon be back in Madrid, but Rashford does not appear headed there with him.
