Marcus Rashford to Barcelona: What MUST happen for Man Utd star's DREAM move

Graham Shaw

25 Jan 2025 11:30 CST
3 min read

Marcus Rashford is desperate to transfer to FC Barcelona, the Spanish giants are desperate to sign him, so what are they all waiting for?

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As the clock ticks down towards the close of the January transfer window in Europe (the deadline is Monday February 3) there is still no resolution to the future of the England striker.

What is 100 percent clear is that right now, Rashford has no future at Manchester United - with new coach Ruben Amorim making it clear the 27-year-old is surplus to requirements.

Rashford was again not part of the United squad as the Red Devils defeated Glasgow Rangers 2-1 last Thursday night in Europa League action at Old Trafford.

The England star has been linked with a number of top European sides during the current January window, notably FC Barcelona and AC Milan.

It appears Rashford has his heart set on a move to Camp Nou and La Liga, but there is one massive issue so far blocking a move. His massive United contract.

Rashford's current runs through to 2028 and pays him an incredible $405k PER WEEK. That is more than $20m per year. It's something Barca just cannot afford with their current financial issues continuing to hamper recruitment.

So what needs to happen next for a move to go through ahead of the deadline?

How can Rashford move to Barcelona?

The simple fact is that whatever Barcelona take on in terms of fees and salaries, they need to remove in another area at the same time. So taking on Rashford and his full salary without anybody leaving Catalonia? Not happening.

The player himself has been clear that he would lower his salary to be able to play alongside the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Yamine Lamal, Raphinha and Pedri for one of the world's biggest clubs. But it would take more than that.

With no exits likely, Barca would not only need Rashford to take a haircut on his salary, but they would also need United to continue to pay a significant amount of it. A grim situation for the once mighty (in financial terms) Catalan giants.

Why do Barcelona want Rashford?

There are multiple reasons for the club's interest in Rashford - firstly his ability to feature in any position along the forward line. He can play out wide or centrally, and has the pace and ability to trouble defenders from anywhere on the pitch.

Coach Hansi Flick is also confident that he can return Rashford to the former glories which earned him that enormous contract in 2023. He scored 30 goals in all competitions during the 2022-23 season as former Old Trafford boss Erik ten Hag got the best out of him during his first season with the club.

Rashford has been with United since childhood, and really burst onto the scene way back in 2015-2016, when he scored twice on his Premier League debut in a surprise win over Arsenal.