Marcus Rashford - Barcelona Watch

Chungy said:
I think Barca still wants Rashford, though not as one of their top signings. If anything they're doing what we're kind of doing with the CM situation (but flipped around a little).

They're getting people they want more/less sure of getting first (Gordon, Alvarez maybe), while they know the Rashford situation can wait (with the WC and not many/any clubs lined up for him) and buying extra time too (filling their squad up with Gordon - like we are with Ederson).

They'll probably come back after the WC and maybe even waiting till the end of the window. Rashford's just a squad player for them, and he's trained/played with them already so they know Rashford doesn't need extra time to acclimatise to the team, they've got insurance/probably other backup transfer targets if they don't get him ultimately, they can afford to wait. (Hoping we're doing the same kinda thing with the Anderson/Tchouameni/Baleba - by getting Ederson & Fernandez early).

Really scummy and inconvenient from our POV, but I'd say good business sense.

What I hope we'd be doing is:
- not lowering the price for Barca no matter what
- actively looking for other buyers, even at a lower price thanwhat we're offering to Barca
- actively working on our own transfer ins & outs regardless of Rashford's situation
- get him back training and in the squad if need be - but NO special accommodations for him (he tracks back and presses if he wants to play, otherwise he's a subbie for the last 10-15mins like he should be. He sulks, he's out!)

Frankly, it's what all well-run clubs should be doing, he's a 125-175k player (what he's worth), he is a "contender for the first 11" level player. We shouldn't fixate on his situation - he's not worth it, we should be bigger and better than that.
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I agree with it mostly. However I really don’t think we should integrate Rashford back into the squad. There is always media drama with him and his entourage.

I would rather the club cut their losses by either loaning him out/subsidising his wages for the next two years, instead of getting a bad apple back into the mix, especially when we are just getting some harmony and feel-good factor around the players and the club as a whole.

It’s not Rashford’s fault that we paid him wages he was nowhere near good enough for. We can’t go back in time to fix it, so we just address this like adults - understanding it was a horrible decision by the previous management which the current regime has to live with for a couple more years.
 
gaffs said:
Maybe the club shouldn’t have allowed Amorim to put him in the “bomb squad” and train away from the first team.

If a company that you had worked at for over 10 years did that to you, would you be doing them any favors on the way out?
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True, but if my new destination company started treating me sh1t by offering half of the wage and recruiting other one (Gordon) for the same role, I might think about my situation and look at better options
 
Chungy said:
I think Barca still wants Rashford, though not as one of their top signings. If anything they're doing what we're kind of doing with the CM situation (but flipped around a little).

They're getting people they want more/less sure of getting first (Gordon, Alvarez maybe), while they know the Rashford situation can wait (with the WC and not many/any clubs lined up for him) and buying extra time too (filling their squad up with Gordon - like we are with Ederson).

They'll probably come back after the WC and maybe even waiting till the end of the window. Rashford's just a squad player for them, and he's trained/played with them already so they know Rashford doesn't need extra time to acclimatise to the team, they've got insurance/probably other backup transfer targets if they don't get him ultimately, they can afford to wait. (Hoping we're doing the same kinda thing with the Anderson/Tchouameni/Baleba - by getting Ederson & Fernandez early).

Really scummy and inconvenient from our POV, but I'd say good business sense.

What I hope we'd be doing is:
- not lowering the price for Barca no matter what
- actively looking for other buyers, even at a lower price thanwhat we're offering to Barca
- actively working on our own transfer ins & outs regardless of Rashford's situation
- get him back training and in the squad if need be - but NO special accommodations for him (he tracks back and presses if he wants to play, otherwise he's a subbie for the last 10-15mins like he should be. He sulks, he's out!)

Frankly, it's what all well-run clubs should be doing, he's a 125-175k player (what he's worth), he is a "contender for the first 11" level player. We shouldn't fixate on his situation - he's not worth it, we should be bigger and better than that.
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There is a deadline of 15 June for the 30M fee, if they do not activate it, then the club will wait for other offers and Barca might end up having to pay more, there are reports of other clubs being interested.
 
Some said Carrick might want him back, but based on what's reported, INEOS made a final decision, that Rashford will never play again for the club, also, they won't be bullied on accepting lowball offer from Barca because there are other clubs interested.
 
NotChatGPT said:
Pay more, good one
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I meant, in a response to the one I quoted, that if the 15 June deadline passes, and other clubs enquire, United will quote a higher transfer fee than the 30m option that Barca has now, and if they truly want him back, then it is either they pay the option before the deadline or forget about him, my suspicion is that Barca has no intention whatsoever to sign Rashford, because if they wanted him they would have already exercised the option
 
NK86 said:
I agree with it mostly. However I really don’t think we should integrate Rashford back into the squad. There is always media drama with him and his entourage.

I would rather the club cut their losses by either loaning him out/subsidising his wages for the next two years, instead of getting a bad apple back into the mix, especially when we are just getting some harmony and feel-good factor around the players and the club as a whole.

It’s not Rashford’s fault that we paid him wages he was nowhere near good enough for. We can’t go back in time to fix it, so we just address this like adults - understanding it was a horrible decision by the previous management which the current regime has to live with for a couple more years.
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Absolutely not. Took years for us to get a team that fights for one another. Allowing an underperforming mega star back into the squad is very morally damaging and sends wrong message across. He should be training with the reserves. And sold to the highest bidder ASAP.
 
OmarUnited4ever said:
I meant, in a response to the one I quoted, that if the 15 June deadline passes, and other clubs enquire, United will quote a higher transfer fee than the 30m option that Barca has now, and if they truly want him back, then it is either they pay the option before the deadline or forget about him, my suspicion is that Barca has no intention whatsoever to sign Rashford, because if they wanted him they would have already exercised the option
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There isn’t really a realistic scenario where we get more than 30m for Rashford.

If Barcelona want to sign him permanently but remain uninterested in paying the pre-agreed fee, it’s because they’re confident that Rashford only wants to sign for them and they can use it to their advantage to haggle over the fee.

Other clubs might be sniffing around, especially if Rashford has a good WC, but everyone knows that there’s little interest from both parties for Rashford to return, so it’s not exactly easy to just quote a higher fee.
 
I understand the appeal in 'letting him rot in the reserves', especially if Barcelona plan on shafting us with another loan situation - possibly with his co-operation.

But ultimately I think we just need to try and find suitors who are willing to pay and, in the event that we can't, we take whatever is on the table from Barca.

It's shit, but we just have to chalk it down to extentuating circumstances based on a legacy decision (his contract and mad wages) that doesn't reflect how the club is run now, and for that reason I can stomach it.
 
GDaly95 said:
I understand the appeal in 'letting him rot in the reserves', especially if Barcelona plan on shafting us with another loan situation - possibly with his co-operation.

But ultimately I think we just need to try and find suitors who are willing to pay and, in the event that we can't, we take whatever is on the table from Barca.

It's shit, but we just have to chalk it down to extentuating circumstances based on a legacy decision (his contract and mad wages) that doesn't reflect how the club is run now, and for that reason I can stomach it.
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This is exactly it.

The only party losing out with him "rotting" is us, as we're on the hook for £350k a week for the next two years.
 
GDaly95 said:
I understand the appeal in 'letting him rot in the reserves', especially if Barcelona plan on shafting us with another loan situation - possibly with his co-operation.

But ultimately I think we just need to try and find suitors who are willing to pay and, in the event that we can't, we take whatever is on the table from Barca.

It's shit, but we just have to chalk it down to extentuating circumstances based on a legacy decision (his contract and mad wages) that doesn't reflect how the club is run now, and for that reason I can stomach it.
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Doesn't matter, we can afford it now. Somebody else would loan him or offer a pitiful fee, Barca have nothing to offer in this situation it would appear. If Rashford wants to hold out for that then he can sit on his hands until January. I doubt he wants to though, Barca are knobheads and he must have finally realised it.
 
Alex99 said:
This is exactly it.

The only party losing out with him "rotting" is us, as we're on the hook for £350k a week for the next two years.
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Not if he is at all serious about being a football player and maximising his career. He’s also in the England squad and that means something to him, if he plays well for them he could be involved in the next euros and WC.

If he chooses to sit on the bench and rot/play part time for 2 years then he’s giving up on his career, he’ll end up playing 15-16yrs top level football I’d think, giving up 2yrs from that after already having a couple of messy years at the end of his time with us is a large portion of a short career.

There should be a tipping point for him if he is serious about being a top professional, or he might just want the extra 10-15m at this point, or whatever the salary differential is likely to be. If he was really about the money he may as well go take a 4-5 year deal in Saudi on megabucks, or try to find something in the MLS where his endorsements and personal earning potential could be enormous
 
The club can't be bullied by Barca, we agreed a fee and they should stick to that fee. If they don't he should go elsewhere as we no longer want him.

I don't see the motivation for Rashford and Barca now if I'm honest, he must surely have had his nose pushed out of joint with the Gordon transfer. It's almost like they've set this transfer up and used Rashford as a stopgap until they could get it over the line this summer.

Rashford just needs to consider his next move because I seriously doubt it's Barcelona.
 
We can absolutely tell Rashford, that we won't deal with Barcelona after a certain date and if they don't agree to buy him by then, he has to look elsewhere. If we give in here (again), it'll just show every other club in Europe that we can be strong armed into doing whatever they want and we will ultimately bend to their whims. At some point this club has to take a firm stand.

I'm also sure Rashford would still gladly take a transfer to Bayern, for example, if Barcelona are off the table. Chelsea might also look for an experienced forward on the left.
 
gaffs said:
Maybe the club shouldn’t have allowed Amorim to put him in the “bomb squad” and train away from the first team.

If a company that you had worked at for over 10 years did that to you, would you be doing them any favors on the way out?
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At that stage he'd given us about a 15 game run of good performances in the past 3 years. With the club sliding further and further down in the meantime.

Serious action had to be taken.

The club's decision to renegotiate his contract during that 15 game spell was and is the problem. I said at the time it was daft.
 
gaffs said:
Maybe the club shouldn’t have allowed Amorim to put him in the “bomb squad” and train away from the first team.

If a company that you had worked at for over 10 years did that to you, would you be doing them any favors on the way out?
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«Everyone elses fault»
 
He will end up being loaned again.

No one will want to pay his wages + a transfer.

Barcelona have played us this year.

We should send him to Newcastle or loan him to Italy
 
NotChatGPT said:
There isn’t really a realistic scenario where we get more than 30m for Rashford.

If Barcelona want to sign him permanently but remain uninterested in paying the pre-agreed fee, it’s because they’re confident that Rashford only wants to sign for them and they can use it to their advantage to haggle over the fee.

Other clubs might be sniffing around, especially if Rashford has a good WC, but everyone knows that there’s little interest from both parties for Rashford to return, so it’s not exactly easy to just quote a higher fee.
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We really do not know what Rashford’s true desire is. With Gordon signed, who is a LW just like him, he would not want to play second fiddle, and let’s not forget that Fermin was preferred ahead of him when Raphinha was injured. So, his chances of playing the same minutes he did last season are significantly reduced. No matter how much he likes it there, for a player of his stature, he would not want to be a cameo player at Barca, especially if Raphinha remains fit and performs at his best, and then Gordon becomes the cover. Rashford is basically the 3rd option for LW. There is where we have the chance to get something more if Barca does not exercise the option before the deadline.

Also we heard that he was willing to reduce his wages to stay on permanent and yet, Barca went and signed Gordon, I do not think Rashford would appreciate being made feel like he does not matter and they would only sign him on a low fee and low wages and keep him as a squad player.
 
gaffs said:
Maybe the club shouldn’t have allowed Amorim to put him in the “bomb squad” and train away from the first team.

If a company that you had worked at for over 10 years did that to you, would you be doing them any favors on the way out?
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That was such a silly idea. The club was so high on Amorim plus Berrada and co seemingly went with whatever he wanted at the time. What did the bomb squad accomplish? Nothing. Treating a long serving player like Marcus(12th on Man Utd all time scorer list and really should've broken into the top 10) like a complete failure, not even permitting him to use the training complex at the same time as the team. That was just unnecessary humiliation. Antony and Malacia had no business there either, they didn't deserve it. Compare Amorim's outbursts criticizing players (even kids out on loan, remember his comments about Dorgu as well) to how Carrick spoke about and treated Malacia.

Ruben Amorim tried to be a disciplinarian a bit too hard while ironically lacking discipline himself. Just look at his behavior in press conferences and comments about the club/players in general.
 
OmarUnited4ever said:
We really do not know what Rashford’s true desire is. With Gordon signed, who is a LW just like him, he would not want to play second fiddle, and let’s not forget that Fermin was preferred ahead of him when Raphinha was injured. So, his chances of playing the same minutes he did last season are significantly reduced. No matter how much he likes it there, for a player of his stature, he would not want to be a cameo player at Barca, especially if Raphinha remains fit and performs at his best, and then Gordon becomes the cover. Rashford is basically the 3rd option for LW. There is where we have the chance to get something more if Barca does not exercise the option before the deadline.

Also we heard that he was willing to reduce his wages to stay on permanent and yet, Barca went and signed Gordon, I do not think Rashford would appreciate being made feel like he does not matter and they would only sign him on a low fee and low wages and keep him as a squad player.
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Rashford has been interviewed a few times and he’s hardly attempted to hide the fact that his preference is to make the move to Barcelona permanent. If that has changed after Barcelona signed Gordon, then great, as it’ll make it less problematic to get rid of him.
 
TempusFugit said:
That was such a silly idea. The club was so high on Amorim plus Berrada and co seemingly went with whatever he wanted at the time. What did the bomb squad accomplish? Nothing. Treating a long serving player like Marcus(12th on Man Utd all time scorer list and really should've broken into the top 10) like a complete failure, not even permitting him to use the training complex at the same time as the team. That was just unnecessary humiliation. Antony and Malacia had no business there either, they didn't deserve it. Compare Amorim's outbursts criticizing players (even kids out on loan, remember his comments about Dorgu as well) to how Carrick spoke about and treated Malacia.

Ruben Amorim tried to be a disciplinarian a bit too hard while ironically lacking discipline himself. Just look at his behavior in press conferences and comments about the club/players in general.
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Not sure what you’re on about, Amorim brought Malacia back into the first team squad after being impressed with his attitude.

Rashford wasn’t exiled for shits and giggles, it was because he staged an interview about how his time at the club was coming to an end after he had been challenged to put in more of a fecking effort. It wasn’t high up the list of things to do during the season, but every once in a while someone decides to force your hand. Just like Sancho, Rashford was given plenty of chances to backtrack, he chose to stick to his guns. When it’s a player vs club scenario, don’t back the player, and especially not a player that isn’t performing or putting in an actual effort on the pitch
 
NotChatGPT said:
Rashford has been interviewed a few times and he’s hardly attempted to hide the fact that his preference is to make the move to Barcelona permanent. If that has changed after Barcelona signed Gordon, then great, as it’ll make it less problematic to get rid of him.
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Quotes please. What has he actually said?
 
locyl_yocyl said:
Absolutely not. Took years for us to get a team that fights for one another. Allowing an underperforming mega star back into the squad is very morally damaging and sends wrong message across. He should be training with the reserves. And sold to the highest bidder ASAP.
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I think that we would likely be getting a different personality back if he did reintegrate. He has had to humble himself and spend time on the bench at both Villa and Barca, so being a rotation piece at his boyhood club would not be an issue for him, as long as he felt loved.

He acted unprofessionally at times but Amorim didn't treat him with great clarity or respect either (from people I know close to the situation) and he got booted out by his first love so it all would have been painful.

I always wanted him gone, but would possibly look to just keep him if clubs try to take the piss with their offers. We need to not let ourselves continue to get mugged by exits. But extensive discussions and evaluation would need to happen and none of us are truly privy to any of that to make/understand the decisions with full knowledge.

If he did return he would have to know that he has to prove himself all over again.
 
NotChatGPT said:
«
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So still no confirmation that he either only wants Barca or that he is ruling everyone else out? But you and others appear to be adamant....

I hate the internet in 2026, for all the flack AI gets on reliability people tend to be just as bad. I will continue to wait for the requisite quotes before I accept this narrative.
 
afrocentricity said:
So still no confirmation that he either only wants Barca or that he is ruling everyone else out? But you and others appear to be adamant....

I hate the internet in 2026, for all the flack AI gets on reliability people tend to be just as bad. I will continue to wait for the requisite quotes before I accept this narrative.
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Where am i being adamant that he only wants Barcelona or that he’s ruling everyone else out?
 
Barca dont want him. I am sure there is a club willing to pay 30m. He needs to lower his wages but that was the case for Barca alrewdy
 
NotChatGPT said:
Where am i being adamant that he only wants Barcelona or that he’s ruling everyone else out?
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Apologies, there are multiple other caftards stating it over and over in this thread and if it's misinformation, it's pissing me off tbh...
 
OmarUnited4ever said:
I've read reports that indicate some clubs are monitoring him, like Bayern and Arsenal, again nothing is concrete but if he impresses in WC, then he will have suitors especially if United do not demand a high fee (like 50M)
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I would imagine arsenal are very very unlikely.
 
NotChatGPT said:
Not sure what you’re on about, Amorim brought Malacia back into the first team squad after being impressed with his attitude.

Rashford wasn’t exiled for shits and giggles, it was because he staged an interview about how his time at the club was coming to an end after he had been challenged to put in more of a fecking effort. It wasn’t high up the list of things to do during the season, but every once in a while someone decides to force your hand. Just like Sancho, Rashford was given plenty of chances to backtrack, he chose to stick to his guns. When it’s a player vs club scenario, don’t back the player, and especially not a player that isn’t performing or putting in an actual effort on the pitch
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You've got your timeline all wrong. The interview came after he was out of the team and it was clear to anyone with a single brain cell that his time here had come to an end. Henry Winter himself said the club knew about the interview and he had informed them about it. The club didn't dispute this. They had already tried testing the waters to sell him before that and there had been interest from clubs, psg for example. INEOS were open to offers in the summer of 2024 but couldn't find anyone willing to meet their valuation.

Alright I'll humor you. Let's say Rashford was banned because he refused to put in more effort. After kicking him out of the team, was he ever given a chance to prove he'd gotten the message? If it was all about putting in an effort (or not training well enough) why did Amorim never play him after that? A player who scored 3 goals in 4 games iirc for him. He made the squad once just once post ban (in about 2 months, despite being fit and ready to play) against Newcastle at Old Trafford yet didn't play a single minute. How do you evaluate a player's response to your demands?


If this was truly about training why did Ruben Amorim even after kicking hin out comment about how well he was training yet never play him in an actual match? He specifically mentioned before the Manchester Derby (where Rashford was left out) about how well he had trained. Did Rashford start training poorly after this? His comments are there and easy to find. The entire narrative about kicked out because he wasn't tracking back enough is complete rubbish, the club wanted to get rid and Amorim was a willing participant. He did the '' dirty'' work to facilitate his exit.

They tried the same tactic on Casemiro (he barely played any games between December 2024 - January 2025, very convenient time period right?) but he stuck to his guns and left Amorim no choice but to play him when it was clear he wasn't leaving, that plus our midfield was rubbish. He started 4 games then was an unused substitute in TEN of them, with even Toby Collyer being preferred as an option over him. It should be clear that Ineos were just targeting high earners and didn't think Rashford and Casemiro deserved their wages. They had a target on their backs from the moment Ineos walked in with their mantra of ruthless cost cutting.

Rashford has become a character that people just twist to fit whatever criticism they have of him in their heads. Reading through the caf you'd think Rashford said feck the club i'm leaving after being asked to run a bit more. It's ridiculous and people should do some research instead of frothing at the mouth online about some lad they only know about as a footballer. There's a lot of valid criticism (he's terrible at pressing for example) about Rashford but i haven't seen Man Utd fans hate on a player like this for a while. Even some of our players who have done some truly heinous stuff haven't had it this bad.
 
Hammondo said:
I would imagine arsenal are very very unlikely.
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I do not think United will mind selling him to any PL club, for United they want to get rid, and if Arsenal make a decent offer, United will accept, I do not know what would Rashford want but Arsenal is at least a team on the up, just won PL and reached CL final, and their LWs are kinda trash so Rashford might end up the starter there and it could a good option for him, obviously no one will ever pay him the wages he is currently on but a 3-4 year deal at Arsenal is defo more financially attractive then 2 years on 300k
 
OmarUnited4ever said:
I've read reports that indicate some clubs are monitoring him, like Bayern and Arsenal, again nothing is concrete but if he impresses in WC, then he will have suitors especially if United do not demand a high fee (like 50M)
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He is not some young unknown entity or a Rookie whose good showing at world stage could convince suitors that they can handle the Big stage , Every body knows what Rashford is capable of he has almost 10 years of football behind him world cup isnt changing anybody's mind .
 
OmarUnited4ever said:
I do not think United will mind selling him to any PL club, for United they want to get rid, and if Arsenal make a decent offer, United will accept, I do not know what would Rashford want but Arsenal is at least a team on the up, just won PL and reached CL final, and their LWs are kinda trash so Rashford might end up the starter there and it could a good option for him, obviously no one will ever pay him the wages he is currently on but a 3-4 year deal at Arsenal is defo more financially attractive then 2 years on 300k
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I very much doubt arsenal would want him, doesn't fit them.
 
He carried us in that first ETH season(2022/23) to a UCL spot, so I understand why the management decided to give him contract on big wages. Fans would have revolted at that time if he was let go.

I'm surprised there isn't a club in the PL willing to pay something trivial(fee) to get him. Fulham, for example, likes buying rejects from the biggest PL clubs(Arsenal especially).

Loaning him for two more years is the most likely outcome.
 
philippexyz said:
He carried us in that first ETH season(2022/23) to a UCL spot, so I understand why the management decided to give him contract on big wages. Fans would have revolted at that time if he was let go.

I'm surprised there isn't a club in the PL willing to pay something trivial(fee) to get him. Fulham, for example, likes buying rejects from the biggest PL clubs(Arsenal especially).

Loaning him for two more years is the most likely outcome.
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Lazy players have little demand.
 
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