The future of Marcus Rashford has been long debated this summer but his Manchester United exit is now coming close.
Ever since Marcus Rashford was frozen out by Ruben Amorim back in December 2024, it has been uncertain if he would ever wear a Manchester United shirt again.
Rashford outlined his desire to find a new challenge away from Old Trafford and this led to his January exit. During the winter transfer window, Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan where he impressed at times but not enough to earn a permanent move.
However, he likely would have rejected a permanent switch to Villa Park, with Rashford desperate to join Barcelona as his next club in the summer.
Despite his desire, Barcelona were focused elsewhere until Nico Williams snubbed a Barcelona move and signed a new deal with the Catalan side instead.
Now, Rashford to Barcelona is almost completed, with a loan agreement being reached.
Marcus Rashford loan will save Manchester United millions
Rashford was exiled by Amorim this summer, and this as a result made it perfectly clear that his time was done, however, a deal always appeared far from completion.
But on Saturday, while United drew 0-0 with Leeds in Stockholm, it was reported that Rashford to Barcelona was in its final stages.
Fabrizio Romano gave the deal his trademark ‘here we go’ which signals that a deal is almost guaranteed to go through.
Rashford will be joining Barcelona on loan, with the Spanish side covering his entire wage of £350,000-a-week. Barcelona will also have the opportunity to purchase the 27-year-old next summer if they choose, while if they refuse, there is a penalty in place.
Over the course of a season, Rashford was earning roughly £15m at United and so taking this off the wage bill is substantial in a summer when finances are stretched at Old Trafford.
- READ MORE: Who is Marcus Rashford? Inside the life of Man Utd’s book-writing, government-tackling ace
Loaning Marcus Rashford will offset the first Bryan Mbeumo instalment
£15m is a substantial amount, which United would have had set into the wage category, but this can now change.
This summer, United have been doing transfers in installments, which sees Bryan Mbeumo costing just £16.4m this summer, and so this transfer will be almost entirely offset by the money saved loaning Rashford out.
So in theory, this will open up United’s finances to make another signing this summer, having already written off the first instalment of the Mbeumo transfer.
This is without considering the loan fee United might receive or the buy option, bonuses or penalties Barcelona might pay over the next 12 months.
So this loan is more than just a loan and will be of incredible value for United.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
