Man Utd: Marcus Rashford return ‘unlikely’ as Barcelona give Ratcliffe ‘two possibilities’ | OneFootball

Marcus Rashford is ‘unlikely’ to return to Manchester United despite Ruben Amorim’s exit, and Barcelona have met with Red Devils officials to re-negotiate a transfer fee for the summer.

Rashford joined Barcelona on a season-long loan last summer after spending the second half of 2025/26 at Aston Villa.

Marcus Rashford for Barcelona: Key stats

The 28-year-old has adapted well to life in Spain and clearly suits Hansi Flick’s attacking style, registering seven goals and 11 assists across all competitions this term.

His Manchester United exit came after falling out with former head coach Ruben Amorim due to poor discipline and a perceived lack of effort on the pitch.

Villa offered Rashford regular playing time last season, and the forward thrived. After returning to the England squad in March 2025, however, he was left out by Thomas Tuchel in June.

Rashford’s form in 2025/26 has seen him included in all of Tuchel’s squads since, featuring in all five of England’s World Cup qualifiers and the friendly against Wales.

He is currently a shoo-in for a spot in this summer’s World Cup squad, thanks to his resurgence in Catalonia.

Barcelona negotiations over Rashford transfer

Despite his performances this season, Barcelona are reportedly looking to drive down the price to sign Rashford permanently in the summer.

The Blaugrana agreed a €30million (£26m) buy option with Manchester United, but they remain in financial difficulty and will attempt to use the player’s desire to stay and United’s willingness to sell to negotiate a lower fee.

According to talkSPORT, Barcelona have ‘no plans’ to pay £26m outright without ‘proposing more economical options’.

That is a modest fee for a player of Rashford’s quality, who is under contract at Old Trafford until 2028, but it is unsurprising that Barca want to reduce the fee.

The website states that a ‘meeting took place earlier this month’ between officials of both clubs, where the La Liga giants ‘raised two possibilities’:

An agreement between United and Barcelona seems inevitable, but the exact terms remain unclear.

https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/2010493191854662068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Rashford’s return to Manchester United unlikely

The report adds that Rashford is ‘unlikely’ to return to United next season.

This is despite Amorim no longer being in charge, with director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada also having been behind the decision to banish the forward.

Amorim may be gone, but Berrada and Wilcox remain firmly in control at Old Trafford and are understood to be the club’s ‘main decision-makers ahead of the summer’.

Why Rashford makes sense for Barca post-Lewandowski

The permanent signing of Rashford makes sense for Flick’s side, who are likely to lose Robert Lewandowski when his contract expires at the end of the season.

European football expert Andy Brassell insists it’s a “sensible” signing for Barcelona and is confident a deal will be agreed with United.

Brassell told talkSPORT: “I do think he’s probably the most sensible financial deal out there.

“He’s maybe the cheapest financial deal out there. They may even loan him for an extra year.

“He’s taken a fair hit on his wages and if United are keen on moving him on permanently and if something can be worked out, it feels like one of the best deals out there for Barcelona because they know he works there already. There’s not as much risk as there would be buying a player fresh.

“I think if they go out there and try and buy someone of Marcus Rashford’s quality on the open market, it’s going to be a heck of a lot more expensive.

“We’ve got to bear in mind as well that next season, they’ll probably, almost certainly, have Robert Lewandowski’s wages off the books.”