Talks ongoing: Barcelona have a cheeky plan to keep Rashford away from Man United | OneFootball

When Marcus Rashford made the shock loan switch from Manchester United to Barcelona, it became clear that he will not return to Old Trafford. Fast forward to the business end of the 2025/26 season, and the 28-year-old Englishman seems to have genuinely found his feet in Spain.

He has clearly impressed the right people at the Camp Nou, but as the summer transfer window approaches, a massive standoff between the two European heavyweights over his long-term future is causing friction.

Barcelona are determined to keep Rashford

According to the latest updates from Sky Sport Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has officially given the green light, he wants Rashford to stay.

The forward’s blistering pace and directness have proven to be a great fit for Flick’s high-octane, vertical attacking system.

When the initial loan was agreed upon, a €30 million (£25.6m) option to buy was put in the contract.

For a player with Rashford’s pedigree, that price tag seems like an absolute steal. Yet, true to form, the Catalan giants are refusing to trigger it.

Instead, Laporta and Deco are reportedly pushing United to agree to a second consecutive loan deal to avoid paying a lump sum this summer.

If a second loan is rejected, Barca’s backup plan is to aggressively haggle that €30m fee down to an absolute bargain-basement price.

Man United want to raise funds ahead of transfer window

Under the INEOS regime, the Red Devils are completely restructuring their footballing operations and desperately need to raise pure profit to fund their own massive summer rebuild.

With Michael Carrick steadying the ship and the club hunting for high-priced midfield reinforcements to replace the departing Casemiro, United are in the business of cashing in, not handing out players on a bargain fee.

From United’s perspective, Rashford is an academy graduate, meaning any fee generated from his sale counts as 100% pure profit on the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) balance sheet.

Accepting a lower fee, or worse, delaying the payday for another 12 months with a second loan, makes absolutely zero financial sense.

Ultimately, something has to give. Rashford reportedly wants to stay