Marcus Rashford breaks silence as Man United give permission to complete Barcelona transfer
Latest Manchester United transfer news as Marcus Rashford takes to social media amid his proposed move to Barcelona
21:30, 20 Jul 2025Updated 21:37, 20 Jul 2025
Marcus Rashford looks set to leave Manchester United(Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has provided an update after reports emerged that he had been granted permission to travel to Barcelona and finalise his move to the Catalan capital.
Rashford’s long-term future has been uncertain since spending the second half of last season at Aston Villa. The 27-year-old scored four times and provided six assists in 17 appearances for Unai Emery’s side.
Villa had a £40million option to buy in Rashford’s loan contract, but the West Midlands club opted against taking up that clause, despite impressing, and he has since returned to United.
However, Rashford is not part of Ruben Amorim’s plans and he informed the club of his desire to explore different opportunities earlier this month. Indeed, he has not returned to training with the rest of his teammates and didn’t feature during their first pre-season fixture against Leeds United on Saturday.
Instead, United have reached an agreement to send Rashford to Barcelona on a season-long loan. The move has an option to purchase the England international on a permanent deal next summer.
On Sunday evening, it was then reported that United had given Rashford permission to fly to Spain to start the next chapter of his career. Shortly after, Rashford then issued an update on Instagram.
Including four images of him playing a game of cards on a plane, Rashford said in a caption: “DOWNTIME.”
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Rashford had targeted Barcelona as his ideal destination when it became clear that he would leave United in January. Now, his dream has been realised. Hansi Flick’s side are expected to cover Rashford’s salary for the duration of the loan, with United taking him off the wage bill in its entirety.
Barca head coach Flick has spoken to Rashford and approved his arrival. The La Liga champions have been in the market for a left-sided forward throughout the summer and Rashford had near the top of their shopping list, including Liverpool’s Luis Diaz and Athletic Club’s Nico Williams.
But with a move for Diaz appearing too expensive and Williams signing a new long-term contract at Athletic, Rashford has emerged as the most realistic and possible option.
United are keen to offload their out-of-favour players to help finance a significant squad revamp, which has already seen Matheus Cunha join for £62.5m, with Bryan Mbeumo expected to follow for £70m.
