Rashford faces an ironic situation at the 2026 World Cup

Marcus Rashford has reported for duty with the England national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with the window for his long-awaited transfer to Barcelona gradually closing.

The 1997-born striker recently completed a period of individual training at Inter Miami CF before linking up with his teammates at England’s base camp in Palm Beach, Florida. Thomas Tuchel’s side will play two warm-up friendlies: against New Zealand in Tampa this weekend and against Costa Rica in Orlando next week.

However, before England kicks off their Group L opener against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, the June 15 deadline for Barcelona to activate the buyout clause in Rashford’s loan deal this season will officially expire.

According to the agreement, the Camp Nou club has the option to permanently sign the English striker for £26 million. However, Man United remains firm on not lowering the price, while Barcelona is only willing to pay about half that amount.

The chances of reaching an agreement have become even more difficult after the La Liga champions completed the signing of Anthony Gordon from Newcastle for a fee of up to £69.3 million.

Additionally, Barcelona has also made an offer for Bernardo Silva after the Portuguese midfielder left Manchester City on a free transfer. Furthermore, the Catalan club is prepared to spend over £100 million on Julián Álvarez from Atlético Madrid as a potential replacement for Robert Lewandowski in attack.

With a wealth of quality attacking options already available, such as Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Ferran Torres, and Fermín López, Barcelona may delay their decision on Rashford until after June 15, or alternatively propose another loan spell for a further season.

From the player’s perspective, Rashford still prioritizes a return to Camp Nou. However, if Barcelona hesitates for too long, Man United can open negotiations with other clubs. In particular, if Rashford performs well at the World Cup and helps England go deep, his value is likely to rise significantly.

Besides Barcelona, several Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham, and Aston Villa are reportedly monitoring the striker’s situation. Meanwhile, top European names like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea could also become options.

Nevertheless, a weekly wage of up to £315,000 and the fact that Rashford will turn 29 in October complicate any potential deal. If he wants to leave Old Trafford permanently, the Manchester United academy graduate may have to accept a pay cut or reach a compensation agreement with the club. His last appearance for the Red Devils was back in December 2024.

If he has not found a new club before Manchester United’s pre-season begins after the World Cup, Rashford will be forced to return to Carrington. This scenario reminds many of the players who were pushed out of the first-team plans last summer, such as Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia.

Elsewhere, the future of goalkeeper André Onana remains unresolved after his loan spell at Trabzonspor. Although he helped the Turkish side win the domestic cup, Onana has virtually no future at Old Trafford after being replaced by Senne Lammens.

Trabzonspor wants to keep the Cameroonian goalkeeper for another season, but Man United prefers a permanent sale. However, after demanding £30 million from AS Monaco last summer, the Manchester club understands they are unlikely to recoup more than half of the £47.2 million fee they paid to bring Onana from Inter Milan to England.

Therefore, Manchester United’s summer is heating up day by day, as both Rashford and Onana have become cases that need to be resolved as soon as possible before the new campaign begins.