Pay up or no deal: INEOS outline firm but necessary stance as Euro giants look to take advantage of United for 23 G/A star

Manchester United are perplexed by recent reports implying Barcelona plan to haggle a lower fee for Marcus Rashford this summer.Indeed, speculation has suggested that the Catalan giants have every intention of making the forward’s move permanent this summer, but are hoping to do so for a cut-price sum.This is a prospect that United are not even willing to negotiate, and they will be expecting the full £26 million when the time comes for Barcelona to pay up. Man Utd won’t re-negotiate Rashford fee with Barca – and will demand full £26m if he moves to the Nou Camp this summer https://t.co/uKx7eF88pE via @MailSport #mufc — Chris Wheeler (@ChrisWheelerDM) February 17, 2026DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYMarcus Rashford is enjoying a new lease of life in Catalonia(Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)It’s certainly a cheeky premise, given the pricetag that United have requested for Rashford is already staggeringly low.Then, when you take into account the tremendous form he’s returned for the Blaugrana, you’d imagine INEOS chiefs are kicking themselves that they didn’t make it higher before his loan began.Across all competitions in 2025/2026 thus far, the 28-year-old has notched 10 goals and 13 assists in 34 games.12 contributions have come in his 21 La Liga appearances, while he has absolutely excelled in Europe, having scored five times and assisted a further four goals in eight matches throughout the first phase of the competition. Rashford appreciation 👏👏#UCL pic.twitter.com/vqBhc4vQAE — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 18, 2025Barcelona struggle in Rashford’s absence(Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Rashford has missed Barcelona’s last two outings through a knee injury, both of which were defeats for Hansi Flick’s side.Last week, they suffered an unexpected 4-0 hammering at the hands of Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at the Metropolitano, with all four goals coming in the first half.Over the weekend, Barcelona also slumped to a 2-1 league loss away at Girona to squander their chance to reclaim their spot atop the table, so you’d imagine Flick will be desperate to have the on-loan Red back at his disposal as swiftly as possible to prevent any further damage in their upcoming clashes. Appearances Goals Assists 426 138 79 *Rashford’s complete record at United (Transfermarkt)