Barcelona seek to halve agreed £26m fee as Rashford prepares for World Cup

Barcelona are pushing to sign Marcus Rashford at a significant discount, with reports indicating the Spanish club want to pay only half of the £26m option-to-buy fee agreed with Manchester United at the start of his loan spell. The development leaves Rashford’s future unresolved as he prepares for England’s World Cup campaign in Miami.

Rashford, 28, had a productive season at the Nou Camp, contributing 14 goals and 14 assists across 49 appearances in all competitions. Despite that output, Barcelona — who have already committed £69.3m to sign Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon — are reportedly hoping United’s eagerness to move on the forward, who earns £325,000 per week, will force a cut-price agreement.

Rashford arrived in Miami ahead of the main England squad, training alone at Inter Miami’s facilities before Thomas Tuchel’s group touched down in the United States. He posted images of his solo sessions with the caption “PREPARED!”, a signal of his intent to be in peak condition for the tournament.

The forward is said to have planned talks with Manchester United to seek clarity on his future, though it remains unclear whether Michael Carrick’s recent appointment at the club will influence those discussions.

Tuchel, meanwhile, has set an unambiguous target for his squad. “The mission, why we are here, is very, very clear,” the England manager told his players. “We want to be world champions. We want to put the second star on our shirt. For me, it’s very important that we just speak about it — the target of this mission is clear: second star on our shirt.”

England will remain based in Miami throughout the tournament, with the main squad having arrived at their base earlier this week.