Manchester United are awaiting Barcelona's decision to trigger Marcus Rashford's £26m transfer clause by the June 15 deadline, as speculation grows that the deal may not go through.
Manchester United are waiting to be told whether Barcelona intend to activate the £26m clause which would make Marcus Rashford's transfer permanent. The Spanish champions have a deadline of June 15 to activate the deal following the striker's loan last season. So far there have been no official communications between the clubs. However, speculation has increased in the last 24 hours, suggesting that Barcelona could opt not to complete the purchase. The Catalan club, who believe a decision will be made early next week, have already spent £69.3 million on Newcastle striker Anthony Gordon, who is competing for a starting place in the national team with Rashford at the World Cup. United have repeatedly said they do not want to renegotiate and sources close to the player also warn the deadline will pass without an agreement. This could put Rashford and the Old Trafford club in a difficult position. The striker has one of United's most lucrative contracts, which expires in 2028, and minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is keen to reduce the high wages paid to the first-team squad. Last summer, Rashford was left out of the squad by previous manager Ruben Amorim before ending his loan at Barcelona. However, Michael Carrick's relationship with him runs much deeper, as he is both a former teammate and a manager, and - for three games after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sacking in 2021 - also the manager of one of United's recent academy stars, currently the club's 15th highest ever goalscorer. When Carrick was asked about Rashford in April, he said no decision had been made about the striker's future. He added: “Whoever is here, I want to work with them and help them get better.” There is some wiggle room even if the June 15 deadline passes. Rashford would be entitled to three weeks' leave once the England national team's World Cup campaign concludes. This means that if England were to exit in the quarter-finals, he would not have to return to United's Carrington training center until the first week of August, ahead of their pre-season meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on August 8, which precedes a week-long training camp in the Republic of Ireland. This offers a period to sort out his future, with numerous sources believing a return to Barcelona under a different deal to the one currently in place is not ruled out.
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