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Rashford primed for SHOCK Premier League return as Man Utd cast doubt over Barcelona transfer
Suraj Radia
- 26 Feb 2026 19:23 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Marcus Rashford could make a return to the Premier League this summer even if he makes a permanent move to Barcelona in a strange twist for the Manchester United loanee.
Barca are keen to keep hold of Rashford but the Catalans are reluctant to take up the €30 million option in their loan deal and they are hopeful that United will soften their stance of refusing to negotiate for a lower fee.
Current ETV
Marcus Rashford
F, M (L)
Barcelona
Marcus Rashford
F, M (L)
Barcelona
ETV Range
€39.2M - €65.3M
The situation has led to Spanish expert Guillem Balague claiming that Barca could instead take up the ‘market opportunity’ of signing Rashford permanently and then look to sell him to another Premier League side for profit.
"It was a loan because they couldn't pay for him, but €30m, they thought that if he did what was expected, they would pay for it," Balague told MEN Sport. "Hopefully, they thought the finances would be in a situation where they didn't need to negotiate that.
"But [Barcelona sporting director] Deco spoke to people at Aston Villa and Manchester United, and they were surprised that Manchester United let him go and that the price was only €30m at 27. So they found it was an opportunity in the market.
"There were two possibilities: If they liked him and did well, they buy him. But they could buy him anyway and sell him on in the Premier League still because he's got obviously a big market there. But his idea was always to stay. The club hadn't decided until recently what to do."
Rashford set to slash wage demands to force Barcelona transfer
Rashford has been a crucial performer for Barca this season with ten goal contributions in La Liga across 21 matches, with Deco admitting that he had been ‘impressed’ by the England international’s conduct.
However, Barca’s ongoing financial issues has led to doubts over being able to afford his permanent signing and talks are being held over more feasible ways to secure a deal, even with United believing the La Liga giants are getting a discount with the current fee.
Rashford has also agreed to lower his salary demands if Barca do sign him permanently, with the forward having no future at Old Trafford even if he returns to the club in the summer.
"Now [Barcelona] want to keep him," Balague added. "They want to lower the £26m [€30m], but Manchester United will not touch that. And also, in the next few years, they want to offer less wages to Rashford."
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