Barcelona seal £25m Adeyemi deal from Dortmund, ending Rashford's Camp Nou hopes

Barcelona have agreed a £25 million deal to sign Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund, with the 24-year-old Germany international flying into the city on Wednesday to complete his medical. The fee includes £6 million in add-ons, making it marginally better value than the £26 million option Barcelona had held — and chose not to exercise — to sign Marcus Rashford permanently earlier this summer.

The move deals a significant blow to Rashford’s hopes of returning to Camp Nou on a permanent basis. At his unveiling last summer, the Manchester United forward described Barcelona as “a club where dreams come true”, but the Catalan side allowed their purchase option to expire in mid-June before turning their attention elsewhere.

Adeyemi becomes Barcelona’s second forward signing of the summer, following Anthony Gordon, who joined the La Liga champions before the World Cup. Adeyemi will reportedly sign a five-year contract — the same length as the deal Gordon agreed.

The signing also reunites Adeyemi with Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick, who handed the forward his senior Germany debut as a 19-year-old while managing the national team. Flick gave Adeyemi his first three international caps and took him to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

For Rashford, the situation leaves his future in limbo. The 28-year-old had been linked with a permanent move to Barcelona and had hoped to resolve his club situation before this summer’s World Cup. When that proved impossible, he opted to defer any decision until after the tournament.

“I was very clear. I wanted any move to be done before the World Cup,” Rashford said during the tournament. “If it’s not, I wanted it to wait until after. I want to be fully present in the moment.”

England’s World Cup campaign continues at least until this weekend — the final takes place on Sunday, with a third-place match on Saturday should the Three Lions fall to Argentina in their semi-final. Rashford will be due to report for pre-season training at Manchester United following an extended break after the tournament, unless a transfer can be agreed in the intervening period.