Manager who brought out the best in United superstar keen on a reunion, summer bid being prepared – report

Manchester United are desperate to offload Marcus Rashford, both due to his enormous wages and because his sale will count as pure profit. Barcelona were expected to trigger his £26 million buy option following his exploits while out on loan, but so far, the Catalan giants have been stalling. They insisted on a price reduction before requesting for another loan deal, only to spend an initial £60 million to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle. Clearly, the La Liga champions have the money, with deals for Bernardo Silva and Julian Alvarez also reportedly in the pipeline. Marcus Rashford’s Barcelona dream evaporating fast However, the Mancunian is still not ready to give up on his dream of staying at Camp Nou and is waiting to hear from the Spanish giants officially. In the meantime, INEOS have been standing firm in the hope of earning a higher fee from elsewhere. Bayern Munich are interested, but are not in a position to pay the Englishman’s enormous wages. There is reported interest from Premier League sides, but the Red Devils would prefer not to sell to a direct rival. If a permanent exit does not materialise, there is every chance Marcus Rashford will return to Carrington for pre-season, a scenario Michael Carrick will be keen to avoid. United do not want Marcus Rashford back This is why INEOS are reportedly open to reducing their asking price for the 28-year-old. However, so far, Barca are yet to give their green light. Interestingly, Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness) have claimed that Aston Villa have joined the race for the United academy graduate. The former United No. 10 spent the second half of the 2024/25 campaign at Villa Park and Unai Emery is keen to reunite with the versatile attacker. Aston Villa ready to pay, but Marcus Rashford remains adamant Villa are even ready to pay a reasonable fee to buy him. However, the ball currently rests in Rashford’s court. He has made no secret of his desire to continue playing for the Blaugrana. A decent World Cup could potentially change Barca’s mind. INEOS will also be hoping for the same. Feature image Michael Regan 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