Man Utd reject Barcelona loan return and invite agents to find Rashford permanent buyer

Manchester United have told Barcelona they will not entertain a second loan deal for Marcus Rashford, pushing instead for a permanent transfer as the summer window takes shape. According to ESPN, United have gone a step further by inviting agents to bring forward realistic permanent destinations for the 28-year-old forward.

Rashford spent last season at the Nou Camp, contributing 14 goals and 14 assists across 49 appearances in all competitions. Despite publicly expressing a desire to make the move permanent, Barcelona chose not to activate the £26 million purchase option written into the original loan agreement, which expired earlier this week.

The development leaves United holding the cards on Rashford’s future. By ruling out any further temporary arrangement with Barcelona, the club signals it wants a clean, fee-generating exit rather than another season of deferred decisions.

Rashford is currently on international duty with England at the 2026 World Cup in North America, and his form there is likely to influence the market. He came off the bench in England’s 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, scoring the fourth goal to seal the win — a cameo that drew warm words from Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel.

“He struggled for us to be decisive when he started, but he was always trying and got a bit unlucky for a long time,” Tuchel told reporters after the match. “We just had a talk where I told him that I’m very, very impressed with his last 16 days — how he was in camp, how he pushes on the field. He is totally invested in every meeting. He is very, very fast in translating a meeting onto the pitch, what we want tactically.”

Tuchel also noted the competitive dynamic Rashford has created within the squad. “He pushes on a very respectful level with Anthony Gordon on the position, so at the moment he’s in a very good place. I was so happy that he was the one to unlock this long spell where he was not decisive for us from within the game, and hopefully he can keep this up.”

A strong World Cup run could raise Rashford’s value and widen the field of potential suitors, giving United more leverage as they seek a permanent deal before the window closes.