Marcus Rashford is close to joining Barcelona on loan and should the Manchester United outcast prove his fitness over the next fortnight, he’ll face-off against an ex-team-mate
Marcus Rashford is set to come up against ex-team-mate Jesse Lingard once his move to Barcelona is finalised. Rashford, 27, will join Barca on a season-long loan after the La Liga champions reached an agreement with Manchester United.
The deal is a straight loan with an option to buy for £26million at the end of the 2025-26 season. Rashford has agreed to take a 15 per cent cut on his £325,000-a-week wage which Barcelona will cover in full.
Barca have prioritised the England international after cooling their interest in Liverpool winger Luis Diaz, who’d cost more than £60m. Hansi Flick recently described both players as ‘fantastic’ but it’s Rashford who’s heading to Catalunya and he could be part of Barcelona’s squad for their pre-season tour of Asia which begins next week.
Flick’s title winners begin their run of friendlies by facing Japanese side Vissel Kobe next Sunday. They’ll then travel to South Korea to play against Seoul, where Lingard now plies his trade, on Saturday, July 31.
Rashford formed a close friendship with Lingard, 32, having both coming through the Red Devils’ academy before spending six years together in the first-team. The midfielder left United in 2022, joining Nottingham Forest on a free transfer.
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After Lingard returned to Old Trafford in December 2022, he and Rashford shared an exchange on Instagram. “More than just a friend, good to see you bro,” Rashford wrote, to which Lingard replied: “All love bro.”
In February of this year, Lingard defended himself after he, Rashford and Paul Pogba were accused of ‘destroying the culture’ at United by a fan. “Please explain how me paul and Marcus destroyed Manchester United’s culture?” the Seoul captain replied.
“Lool we was just enjoying our life of we played for biggest club in the world of course we made mistakes and we learn but we gonna have fun and smile and dance.”
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Lingard’s connection to United remains strong, having woken up at 4am to watch May’s Europa League final. “They will always be one of the biggest clubs in the world and supporters will support them through thick and thin,” the former Red Devils star told BBC Sport.
“It might be a long-term project with [Ruben] Amorim. He knows what he wants to do. It’s tough when you’re not in the Champions League to attract players so he was relying on winning the Europa League. It’s harder to recruit when you’re not in the Champions League. It’s 100 per cent a factor.”
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