Barcelona president Joan Laporta has now admitted that he learned all about one all-important ‘virtue’ that belongs to Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford.
Marcus Rashford finally signed for Barcelona this summer and the 27-year-old Manchester United player was officially unveiled at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.
The former Aston Villa star had been open about his ‘dream’ to play for Barcelona and Rashford’s future at Old Trafford is all but over under manager Ruben Amorim.
Rashford was deemed surplus to requirements at United after Ruben Amorim’s arrival from Sporting CP and the Barcelona signing lost his place in the starting XI.
The boyhood United fan spent the second half of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign at Villa Park after he left United in the January transfer window.
Aston Villa had the option to sign Rashford on a permanent deal for a £40m fee, but the Premier League club opted not to make his move permanent in the summer.
Joan Laporta’s telling reaction to Barcelona signing Marcus Rashford from Man Utd in the summer transfer window
Marcus Rashford made his return from Villa Park after his loan deal expired on 30th June and the new Barcelona summer signing arrived back at Old Trafford in July.
However, the England international was left out of Ruben Amorim’s pre-season campaign plans and Rashford had been training alone at the Carrington complex.
Rashford had been on the hunt for a new club and the ex-Aston Villa star became a key priority for Barcelona after the Spanish side failed to sign Nico Williams.
Joan Laporta said at Barcelona’s unveiling of Rashford on Wednesday that the Manchester United player had shown how “excited” he was to sign for the club.
“We are very happy because a player of great quality is coming, at a great age to come to Barca with extraordinary motivation,” he told reporters, as per Goal.
“Personally, I’ve seen how excited he is to come to Barca.”
Joan Laporta explains what Marcus Rashford told him after Barcelona signed the Man Utd and England player
Barcelona have agreed to cover Rashford’s hefty United wages during his loan spell and the player reportedly agreed to take a pay cut to make the move happen.
Laporta has talked up Rashford’s honesty and the Barcelona president insisted that the Three Lions star wanted to see out his career at United as a ‘one-club man.’
“One of his virtues is that he is sincere,” he continued.
“His dream was to play for Manchester United for the rest of his life. He arrived at the age of seven and was born there with an interesting life.
“He wanted to be a ‘one-club man.’ It’s nice for a player to say this with all the sincerity.”
Rashford’s 12-month loan deal with Barcelona will cover the 2025-26 campaign and the La Liga club have the option to buy him for a £30.3m transfer fee in 2026.
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