Marcus Rashford has seen a summer return to Manchester United speculated on – once a loan spell at Barcelona comes to a close – but it is claimed that the Red Devils are “still planning for the future without” the England international in mind. The expectation for now is that a purchase option on the 28-year-old forward will be taken up by La Liga title hopefuls.
Purchase option: How much permanent deal will cost Barcelona
Barcelona can trigger a permanent transfer for Rashford by paying £26 million ($36m). The Catalan giants are in a position to dictate what happens next, with all of the power in their hands. If they want to retain Rashford, then there is nothing that United can do about that.
The Sun claims that the Red Devils are happy for a product of their fabled academy system to remain in Spanish football, despite some reports suggesting that interim boss Michael Carrick would like to see a proven Premier League performer back at Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford Manchester United 2024-25Getty
Man Utd made no efforts to recall Rashford in January
Carrick, who is calling shots in Manchester through to the end of the 2025-26 campaign, previously worked with Rashford while spending three-and-a-half years as part of Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s backroom teams. He is in contention to land a full-time role with United after overseeing four successive victories at the start of his tenure.
The Sun, however, reports that United had “no intention of recalling Rashford during the winter transfer window”. They go on to state that “Carrick gave no consideration to bringing back Rashford and is not thinking as far ahead as the summer as his contract is only until the end of the season”.
It is said that “nothing has changed regarding Rashford’s situation”, with chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox still mulling over who to appoint as the club’s next manager on a permanent basis.
Rashford wants to remain at Camp Nou
Rashford has not figured for United since December 2024, with the second half of last season being spent on loan at Aston Villa. He fell out of favour under former Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim and saw his No.10 jersey handed to Brazil international Matheus Cunha during the summer of 2025.
He was made to train away from United’s first-team squad prior to a loan agreement with Barcelona being struck. A desire to remain at Camp Nou has been expressed by a man who has 426 appearances for the Red Devils and 138 goals to his name.
Rashford told ESPN when asked if he wanted to stay at Barca: “For sure. I’m enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game. For a player it is an honour. People forget this, but 23 years of my life was with Manchester United. So sometimes you just need a change. I think maybe this is the case with me and I’m enjoying everything.”
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