Marcus Rashford appears on the verge of an unexpected homecoming at Manchester United, a year after his season-long loan move to Barcelona seemed to signal the end of his Old Trafford career.
The 28-year-old forward spent the 2025-26 campaign in Spain, where he scored 11 goals and provided 14 assists as Barcelona lifted the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup, while also reaching the Champions League quarter-finals. Despite that productive spell, Barcelona opted against triggering a £26m clause that would have made the move permanent, a decision initially interpreted as a negotiating ploy to extend his stay via another loan.
That possibility evaporated when Barcelona brought in England winger Anthony Gordon and German forward Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund in late July, filling the attacking positions Rashford might have occupied. He subsequently posted a farewell message on social media on 30 July, and Barcelona boss Hansi Flick paid tribute to him the following day after a pre-season friendly in Birmingham.
"He is a fantastic player and a fantastic person," Flick said. "The team miss him, I will miss him, but it is life. This is what we have to accept."
With Barcelona's door closed, attention has turned back to Manchester United, where Rashford remains under contract until 2028 and earns £325,000 a week — the highest salary at the club. That figure poses a challenge for minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has been working to control United's wage bill, by far the club's largest area of expenditure.
United's transfer business has slowed considerably since the £35m signing of Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans on 14 July, and the uncertainty surrounding Rashford's situation is thought to be a contributing factor. His versatility across the front line means the club's pursuit of a left-sided attacker or additional striker could be shaped by whether he remains in Manchester.
Opinion among supporters remains split. Some point to Rashford's well-documented friction with former manager Ruben Amorim over training performances as evidence he had lost his connection to the club he supported as a boy. Comparisons have been drawn between his underwhelming form before leaving United and his revival at Aston Villa, with the England national team, and then at Barcelona. Others argue he is too talented to let go and could thrive again under the right guidance, questioning whether United could find a replacement of similar quality for the £26m fee reportedly agreed with Barcelona.
Rashford currently sits 15th on United's all-time scoring list with 138 goals, needing 17 more to draw level with Paul Scholes in 10th. Thirty-two of those goals came while playing alongside current head coach Michael Carrick, who also briefly managed Rashford for three matches during a 10-day caretaker spell in 2021. The two are understood to have a strong relationship, which could prove significant if the reunion goes ahead.
Should Rashford rejoin the squad in line with United's other returning World Cup players — typically around three weeks after their final tournament appearance — he could link up with the team at next week's training camp in Maynooth, Republic of Ireland. His potential first match back would be against AC Milan, managed by his former boss Amorim, in Wroclaw on 15 August, depending on whether Carrick feels he is ready to feature earlier against Leeds at Croke Park on 12 August.
Carrick has not yet addressed the media since pre-season training resumed, and a planned partially open session in Maynooth has reportedly been cancelled. Other clubs in England and abroad have expressed interest in Rashford, but United have maintained they will not sanction a discounted sale or another loan before the transfer window closes on 1 September.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.