Towards the end of the summer, Manchester United let Marcus Rashford join Barcelona on loan, after he had returned from a spell at Aston Villa.
Barcelona sporting director Deco recently admitted Aston Villa wanted to keep him. Unai Emery’s side didn’t succeed because the forward pushed for a move to the Camp Nou.
The decision has worked out well as the Manchester United man has managed 10 goals and 13 assists for the La Liga club so far.
Hansi Flick’s side have secured a purchase option. Earlier this month, Sport Witness had relayed news from Spain Rashford doesn’t want to return to Manchester United if Barca don’t make his stay permanent.
Rashford on front page of Sport
The England international is on front page of today’s edition of Sport, with a claim of Deco negotiating with his agent.
According to the newspaper, Rashford’s performances have convinced the Catalan club to extend his stay as soon as possible.
Arturo Canales, the Manchester United man’s agent, met Deco at Barcelona’s offices on Monday.
Sport state Barcelona have a €30m purchase clause and the director’s intention is to try and lower the price. This is the ‘main sticking point’ for the La Liga winners to buy the 28-year-old.
Manchester United maintain firm stance
The Premier League side refuse to cooperate and insist there’s ‘no room’ to negotiate the €30m price. From Manchester United’s perspective, it only remains to be seen whether Barca will activate the clause.
Sport claim agent Kostas Theoharides, who works with Canales, played a significant role in bringing Rashford to Barcelona on loan. He also accompanied Canales during Monday’s meeting with Deco.
Theoharides, as per the newspaper, shares a good relationship with Manchester United.
Barcelona are hoping this could help them in convincing Michael Carrick’s side to soften their stance on selling Rashford. He is willing to take a pay cut to secure a permanent move to the Camp Nou.
As of now, Manchester United’s ‘official stance remains firm’ and they’re refusing to move away from the €30m price. Despite this, Barca remain optimistic that the attacker’s desire could push the English club to lower their demands.
Talks will continue between the two clubs, but Sport make no mention of Barca’s plan if Manchester United refuse to lower the price.
Journalist Carlos Monfort covered this report, and he took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post a picture. According to the journalist, it’s a picture of Rashford’s agent arriving for the transfer meeting with Deco.
💣 IMAGEN EXCLUSIVA @sport
‼️ ¡Cumbre por el futuro de Rashford en el Barça!
Deco se ha reunido hoy con sus agentes y ya trabaja para ficharlo.
El Manchester United no quiere entrar en negociaciones por su opción de compra de 30 millones.
+ info en https://t.co/X0pYPkzn6m pic.twitter.com/XbbK04E0J7
— Carlos Monfort (@monfortcarlos) February 23, 2026
