Deco and Hansi Flick’s priority in this transfer window was an attacking player and in Marcus Rashford, they have what they were after.
Barcelona have signed the 27-year-old on a season-long loan deal that will see the Englishman competing for a spot in the highest-scoring front line in Europe’s top five leagues. Last season, that front three was Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.
Rashford also gets his dream move. His desire to join Barcelona was so great that he has agreed to take a pay cut to the effect of between 15 per cent and 25 per cent, depending on factors including bonuses. United are not paying any of his wages and his gross salary at Barcelona will be about €14million a year (before bonuses).
The deal includes a €30m buy option at the end of the season, and contrary to reports, it does not include a €5m penalty fee if Barcelona decide not to trigger that option.
(Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)
From a Manchester United perspective, they are saving a huge amount in wages, with Rashford earning around £300,000 per week even after a cut to his salary of a quarter for the club’s failure to reach the Champions League (a clause all players have in their contracts).
Rashford scored seven goals in all competitions for United last season, but he did not feature after a poor display at Viktoria Plzen on December 12, with Ruben Amorim taking a hardline approach to the player’s perceived efforts. Even after returning from his loan period at Aston Villa, Rashford was cut aside from the first-team group. He trained for a couple of days at Carrington but was informed he should report to the training ground at 5pm, once Amorim and his team-mates had left.
United took the No 10 shirt off Rashford and gave it to new signing Matheus Cunha, a clinical illustration of the changing times. Clawing back any money is a bonus for United, given Rashford was entirely out of Amorim’s plans.
United’s new No 10, Matheus Cunha, who joined the club from Wolves this summer (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
“The situation with United is, the club is in a period of change and they have been for a while,” said Rashford during his presentation in Barcelona.
“I don’t have anything bad to say about Manchester United, it’s been an important part of not only my career but my life. I am grateful for the opportunity to play for them but football is the same as life and not everything goes as simply as you may have thought.
“I just wish them all the best. I hope they are successful in the future.”
Rashford has also agreed not to include any written guarantee on his contract regarding his registration at Barca. The club have assured the player they will be in a position to register him within La Liga’s salary rules by the end of the transfer window, and Rashford’s camp will trust their word. It has been seen at the club as a positive sign of his desire to join the Spanish champions.
Rashford landed in Barcelona on Sunday but the foundations of this signing were laid six months ago. It was in January 2025 when the Catalans were told by intermediaries that Rashford dreamt of joining them, and the player’s camp linked with the Barcelona-based agency AC Talent to help facilitate a move.
There was a meeting in Lisbon on January 21, just before Barcelona’s Champions League match against Benfica. Agent Arturo Canales, from AC Talent, met Barcelona’s sporting director Deco to discuss a possible six-month loan for Rashford.
At that point, Barca were already considering bringing in a new winger. They had failed to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Club last summer (for the first time), and despite all the goals scored by the players in his squad, Flick was keen on bolstering his options in attack.
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick wanted another attacker (Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
The German coach approved Rashford’s signing in January. Besides appreciating his football skill set, he also spoke to those close to Rashford and became aware of his commitment to playing in Barca’s system.
According to people close to the negotiations, who spoke anonymously to protect relationships, Rashford did not move to Barcelona in January because of the lack of salary room to add him to the squad, combined with the turmoil Barcelona were experiencing with Dani Olmo, Pau Victor and their registrations.
It took a decision from the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD, a national high court) to allow Barca to register both players for the second half of the season, which stopped €60m signing Olmo from leaving for free just four months after he joined the club.
La Liga had previously denied the players’ registration as they understood Barcelona had failed to meet their financial requirements by the end of 2024. Their decision was overturned by the CSD ruling, causing a stir at La Liga and among other clubs competing in Spain’s top division.
Olmo and Victor’s situation was resolved just in time, but that saga left Barcelona working on a thin margin with their salary cap — and it increased tensions with La Liga. In that spectrum, there was no room for Rashford.
Nine days after the meeting in Lisbon between Rashford representatives and Barcelona, the player was posing with an Aston Villa shirt after agreeing a six-month loan to the Premier League club.
Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan in January (Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
This was a move that Rashford needed time to assess and agree to. He decided to join Villa as he understood it would put him in a better position to achieve his dream move to Barcelona this summer.
Villa offered a Champions League platform to shine, and a well-assembled team capable of competing against any opponent. Those close to Rashford convinced the player to make the move by arguing that as long as he performed at Villa, he would have the chance to join Barcelona for — at least — one full season from summer.
The plan worked.
“It was not difficult to choose. I was clear on my preference from the very beginning, actually from maybe in January, but it didn’t work out in January so I went to Aston Villa and I enjoyed a good period there,” said Rashford during his unveiling on Wednesday.
“The summer came around quickly and again it was time to make another decision. My choice was easy. One, it’s a family club, something I am used to from my past. It feels like home, I feel like I’ve made the right decision. I am excited to get going and play the first game and play in front of the fans. To play for this football club is a special moment for me and I’m ready to get going.”
Before this transfer window, Barcelona were fully aware of the terms Rashford was on at United, the effort he was willing to put in to make the move happen and to have an impact at the club, and the offer they needed to submit.
Rashford’s camp travelled to Barcelona in May and met Barcelona officials to discuss whether a move was possible. It was still early days for the Catalans, who wanted to see how the start of the summer unfolded for them.
By the start of last week, senior figures at Barcelona realised they had to make their move for Rashford. They had already missed out on Williams (again), due to the 22-year-old’s fears that they might not be able to register him.
Luis Diaz was Deco’s preferred option, but they were a long way from meeting Liverpool’s financial demands to sanction the deal. A first enquiry from Barcelona was rebuffed by Liverpool in June.
Barcelona could not afford a move for Luis Diaz (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
At this point, all roads led to Rashford.
As soon as Barcelona executives contacted Rashford’s camp, it took only a few days to reach an agreement. They were fully aware of his terms and his willingness to waive some of his salary to join them.
Before the end of the week, the Catalans submitted a loan offer to United and by Sunday, the forward had landed in Barcelona to finalise the deal.
Up until he posed with his new Barcelona shirt with the No 14 printed on the back — a homage to his childhood idol and Barca legend Thierry Henry — the city had barely seen Rashford.
He spent two days going from the Torre Melina hotel in the city, where he’ll stay until he finds a new home, to the Joan Gamper training facilities in full secrecy. He barely set foot in the streets, where local photographers had been waiting for days outside the hotel.
The club also tried to hide his involvement in Flick’s training sessions on Monday and Tuesday, carefully selecting the pictures that were released before his signing was made official.
It was an open secret within the club how much Rashford wanted this move, though.
Rashford’s only intention this summer was to join Barcelona. If a deal could not be struck, the forward planned to stay at Manchester United, despite all the turmoil around his status at the club and his relationship with Amorim.
(Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
In his press conference on Wednesday, he reiterated that. “My mind never changed,” he said. “It’s difficult to not be disrespectful to anybody but I have to make a decision and my choice is my choice and I would have waited longer (for Barcelona) if I had to. Regardless of what happens next season, I’m not going to regret my decision.”
He also seems unconcerned by the possibility of Barcelona not being able to register him with La Liga. “From the conversations I’ve had with everyone, they only fill me with confidence about the club. I don’t have any negative thoughts, or I don’t believe in the negative thoughts that might be around.”
Rashford has been texting Barcelona players, including Lamine Yamal, in recent months. The dressing room was fully aware of his willingness to be a part of the squad.
“He’s a very, very special talent,” Rashford said of Yamal. “Last season, he was one of the leading players in the world, if not the best in the world. It’s exciting. Everybody in sport wants to play with the best”.
Barcelona’s first-team squad has given Rashford a warm reception this week. “If you see the pure raw skill set he has… boof, it is top, top class,” a source within the dressing room told The Athletic. “But here he will have to run. I don’t know what went wrong at Manchester United, but if you are a striker and don’t run off the ball and when the team are counterpressing, you are done here.”
Flick believes Rashford has everything it takes to fit his high-pressing system — and those higher up at the club believe the timing could not be better. Rashford is at a defining point in his career and needs to work hard and throw everything into this move to meet Flick’s demands in effort and application.
Flick is demanding on the training ground (Adria Puig/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Amorim gave a strong impression that he felt Rashford’s focus had slipped at United. The Athletic revealed in January how Amorim asked Rashford about his social life before the Everton game in December, and then judged his performance in training before the Manchester derby later that month as well below standards. Amorim dropped Rashford, who has not played for United since.
“It’s one thing to say you are motivated and determined,” Rashford said on Wednesday, “but these are things that can change day to day depending on how you are feeling. The thing that I bring back to my life, not just the sport, is the discipline.
“The discipline is something that stays regardless of whether you wake up and don’t feel like it today. The discipline is the thing that keeps you going.”
The expectation from the Barcelona backroom staff is that Rashford is used primarily as a left-winger. Through the middle, the club see Ferran Torres as Lewandowski’s natural backup — plus there are other options such as using Olmo as a false nine.
Rashford playing on the left would also allow Raphinha to start from central positions, something Barcelona’s staff are keen on exploiting this season.
In June, Rashford gave an interview to the Barcelona-based YouTuber xBuyer, where he spoke about his future and his roles.
“Playing as a No 9 is becoming more comfortable, more natural,” said Rashford. “Small things, such as playing back to goal, it’s becoming easier for me. You’re always in front of the goal, so you’re always dangerous.”
Back then, Barcelona were in the process of trying to sign Williams, with conversations understood to be at an advanced stage. People at Barcelona saw Rashford’s words as proof of how keen he was on joining the club in any role, even if Williams had completed a transfer.
This season is a lifeline in Rashford’s career. He has a point to prove and a target to reach, with the World Cup in sight next summer. Playing for England in the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer is a major aim for Rashford. Barcelona believe he has too much at stake to mess around and not adapt to Flick’s demands. Their belief in his motivation to work was part of why they signed him.
There is another handy element to all this: of all the names Barcelona have considered for the left-wing position, Rashford will be by far the easiest one to register.
He joins on a one-season loan, with no upfront payment, so, unlike any permanent signing, he does not come with a fee to amortise over the years of his contract.
Even with the pay cut he is taking, Rashford is still expected to be among the best-paid players in the current squad, below Yamal and Lewandowski but in line with Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong.
“This is a team that is happy, so when people are happy it’s always easy to go into this environment,” said Rashford.
“I feel comfortable, I can express myself. It’s an easy dressing room to be relaxed in. And it’s very ambitious, so it’s perfect for me.”
(Top photos: Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images; graphic: Eamonn Dalton/The Athletic)
