Marcus Rashford is now, for all intents and purposes, a FC Barcelona player. The 27-year-old winger had signed his contract on Tuesday afternoon, but the club postponed the official presentation ceremony for this Wednesday at 18:00 local time, although there was a delay in the activity.
The reason for this delay had to do with obtaining the player's work permit and the joint announcement with Manchester United. "Yes, it's official, you can tell everyone. Let's go! Visca el Barça!" said Rashford in the presentation video shared by the club on their social networks.
The United youth player, in this way, follows in the footsteps of Gary Lineker as the second English footballer to wear the Blaugrana shirt. The striker will wear the number '14', in homage to his idol Thierry Henry. The last player to wear this number on his shirt was Pablo Torre, last season.
Now, Rashford will travel with the team to the pre-season Asian tour, hoping to get physically fit and quickly adapt to Hansi Flick's system. In principle, the coach will consider him as a left winger, but it is likely that the former '10' of 'Man U' will sometimes play as a reference in the area instead of Robert Lewandowski.
United confirms the loan of Marcus Rashford to Barça
Simultaneous to Barça's official announcement, Manchester United published an image on their social networks confirming the departure of the 27-year-old player. "All the best, Marcus," wrote the club with whom the striker still has a contract until 2028.
The 'Red Devils' finally accepted the loan of the winger for one season, with a non-obligatory purchase option for 30 million euros. This will depend on the striker's performance under Hansi Flick and includes a possible penalty of around 5 'kilos' if Barça decides not to execute it in the summer of 2026.
The Blaugrana team, for now, will take over Rashford's salary, reduced by 15% according to journalist Fabrizio Romano. In total, the Culés will pay 14 million gross (7 M€ net for the player), in addition to other variables for performance.
The operation ended up being beneficial for Barça, as it allows them to sign a left winger, an absolute priority in the summer market, for a much lower price than what the club was willing to pay for Nico Williams or Luis Díaz (around 65 'kilos').
Barça, now, must resolve Rashford's registration
Now, the board must resolve the return to the 1:1 rule as soon as possible in order to register Marcus Rashford and Joan García in LaLiga's roster. With just under a month to go before the start of the 25/26 season, Barcelona is still exceeded in its salary margin and, therefore, cannot incorporate reinforcements.
The latest information indicates that the club is exceeded by about 157 million euros in its squad cost limit, set at 426.4 M€ by LaLiga and currently established at 583.4 M€. To balance the books, the Culés need to raise cash with some transfers and account for the income of 100 'kilos' derived from the sale of the VIP seats of the Spotify Camp Nou.
This operation is pending to be included in the 24/25 report that Barça's financial auditor, Crowe Spain, must send to the employers in the coming days. The Blaugrana team can also free up margin in its squad if Ter Stegen's injury absence is confirmed, as long as the German decides to undergo surgery this month.
While these issues are resolved, Rashford will work hard with the rest of the group, hoping to have a federative license in time to enter the squad for matchday 1 of La Liga, against Mallorca on August 16.
FOLLOW US ON OUR SOCIAL NETWORKS:
- INSTAGRAM: @fcbarcelonanoticias_com
- FACEBOOK: FCBN
- X (TWITTER): @FCBNOTICIAS
- THREADS: @fcbarcelonanoticias_com