Barcelona hatch new plot to force United’s hand, propose two new payment methods to land Rashford – report

Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford conundrum has just become a little more complicated, if Ben Jacobs’ latest report is to be believed. The Mancunian would have felt confident about staying at Camp Nou after helping Barcelona clinch the La Liga title ahead of arch-rivals Real Madrid. The United academy graduate scored 14 times in all competitions and registered as many assists, and manager Hansi Flick subsequently asked the club hierarchy to keep hold of the Englishman. Considering his loan included a buy option worth a meagre £26 million, INEOS would have expected it to be triggered, given the loanee‘s performance. Barcelona up to all sorts of tricks However, the Catalan giants have been dilly-dallying over paying the full amount, initially asking for another loan before requesting to pay the amount in instalments. INEOS held firm and were of the opinion that they could earn a higher fee if Barcelona did not honour their side of the bargain. The Spanish giants moved swiftly to bring in Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United and are closing in on deals for Bernardo Silva and Julian Alvarez. That effectively meant the doors were closing for the England international, who would have to return to Manchester for pre-season. Marcus Rashford in danger of returning to United There is interest from Premier League sides, but the 20-time English league champions are reluctant to strengthen a direct rival. This is why INEOS have been forced to soften their stance, and they are now open to offering Barcelona a discount to get the 28-year-old’s massive wages off their books. Jacobs has revealed that the Camp Nou outfit have proposed two new payment methods: pay £17 million right now, or pay the full £26 million after another loan. “Barcelona have told Man United two things in the last two or three weeks…They’ll pay €20 million with a different structure. Barcelona’s latest ask “They won’t pay €20 million, they’ll do €30 million but they want a season-long loan, and that €30 million be a conditional obligation, likely triggered by performance-related criteria. “Man United are saying no, it’s €30 million now otherwise Rashford won’t join.” Michael Carrick will be desperate to avoid the possibility of another bomb squad forming on the sidelines. The ball is in INEOS’ court, with Marcus Rashford busy trying to impress at the upcoming World Cup. Feature image Denis Doyle via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25