Barcelona's Gordon switch leaves Rashford's £40m sale in doubt ahead of World Cup knockout stage

Marcus Rashford’s route out of Manchester United has narrowed sharply after Barcelona allowed their £26m option-to-buy clause to expire and signed Anthony Gordon from Newcastle for £69m instead, leaving United scrambling to find a new buyer for a player they have no intention of loaning out again.

Rashford had appeared to be on the verge of making the move permanent after an outstanding loan spell at the Camp Nou, contributing 14 goals and 14 assists as Barcelona won La Liga and beat Real Madrid. “I am not a magician, but if I was, I would stay,” he told reporters at the end of the season, hinting strongly that he expected to remain in Catalonia.

Instead, Barcelona moved quickly to secure Gordon, concluding that deal within days of letting the Rashford deadline pass. United, understandably frustrated, made their position clear: there will be no second loan. If Rashford is not sold this summer, manager Michael Carrick will reintegrate him into the first-team squad at Carrington and make him available for selection.

United’s asking price stands at £40m, and their plan hinged on Rashford using the 2026 World Cup to attract that level of interest. Before England’s round-of-16 tie against Mexico at the Azteca, Rashford acknowledged the situation publicly. “I was very clear with everyone involved before the World Cup — I wanted it done before,” he said in Kansas. “If it’s not, I wanted it to wait until after. I want to be fully present in the moment.”

That plan has been complicated by events on the pitch. Gordon, fresh from his Barcelona move, was handed the starting berth on England’s left wing against the co-hosts and delivered one of the team’s standout performances — creating a constant threat and winning the penalty that Harry Kane converted. He played the full 90 minutes.

Before that game, the left-wing spot in Thomas Tuchel’s XI had been genuinely open, with neither Gordon nor Rashford having nailed it down. Tuchel now appears to have made his choice, and reduced playing time at the World Cup would significantly diminish Rashford’s market value at precisely the moment United need it to rise.