Rashford in Barcelona to complete loan move

July 22, 2025
Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford smiles during the warm up before an English Premier League football match against Newcastle at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on December 30, 2024.
Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford smiles during the warm up before an English Premier League football match against Newcastle at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on December 30, 2024.

MADRID (AP):

Barcelona's already impressive frontline is about to be boosted by the signing of Marcus Rashford.

Rashford is in Barcelona to complete a move from Manchester United, a person with knowledge of the transfer told The Associated Press on Monday.

The person did not want to be named because they were not authorised to speak about it publicly.

The loan deal would give the 27-year-old England forward, once considered among Europe's top talents, a chance to revive a career that stalled in recent years after falling out of favour at United and ending last season on loan at Aston Villa.

Spanish media said the one-year loan agreement with United would give Barcelona an option to buy Rashford for about EU30 million (US$35 million).

Barcelona had the best attack in Spanish football and one of the most prolific across Europe last season, but had been trying to add another piece to the frontline to go along with young star Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and veteran Robert Lewandowski.

Rashford has spent his entire career at United, scoring 138 goals in 429 appearances and winning five major trophies, including two FA Cups and the Europa League.

But he struggled to consistently live up to the hype that surrounded him when he burst onto the scene as a teenager in 2016 - only managing 20 goals or more in three seasons. In his last two seasons at United he scored a combined 15 goals and added another four in 17 games on loan at Villa.

Barcelona won the Spanish league title with 102 goals, 24 more than runner-up Real Madrid. The Catalan club also led the Champions League in goals with 43, five more than champions Paris Saint-Germain, before being eliminated by Inter Milan in the semi-finals.

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