Barcelona green light stunning January deal for Man Utd misfit as cut

Marcus Rashford could secure a permanent move to Barcelona earlier than expected with the Spanish giants hoping to land him for cheaper than his €30m agreement by offering to bring the deal forward to the January window – and with all parties in agreement, the move could hand the Red Devils an unexpected cash boost.

Rashford showed the watching world that he may be ready to return to his very best form after scoring a brilliant double for Barcelona in their 2-1 Champions League win over Newcastle on Thursday night. That brace now means the 27-year-old has three goal involvements for Barca in just five appearances – a G/A every 81.3 minutes he has played under Hansi Flick so far.

Having joined Barcelona on a season’s loan over the summer – a move we exclusively first revealed was still on this summer just a matter of days after his loan to Aston Villa in January window – the LaLiga champions negotiated an option to turn the move into a permanent €30m (£26.1m, $35.2m) deal at the season’s end.

Whether Barca would trigger that, of course, depended on how the 64-times capped England forward fared during his time in the Nou Camp over the course of the season and with competition for places in their attack clearly strong with both Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski also strong options for Flick.

However, Rashford’s instant impact in Catalonia is understood to have instantly wowed the German – and now transfer journalist Graeme Bailey has told TBR Football that they are already making it clear they want to make the move permanent.

Furthermore, according to Bailey, Barcelona hope that, by bringing the move forward to the winter window, they can secure the player for something of a discount – and with the cash set to go immediately into the Manchester United coffers ahead of their own plans to strengthen in January.

Per Bailey, Barca hope to secure Rashford’s signing for a little less than the price negotiated and could open talks in the coming weeks to see what sort of discount they might be able to secure.

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Rashford sale will be music to Man Utd’s ears

With the player due to turn 28 next month, and among the club’s highest earners at Old Trafford, Sir Jim Racliffe has been desperate to get him off the United wage bill ever since he first became the club’s co-owner.

And the signings of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo this summer means that, even if he were to resdiscover his best form at Barcelona, there is no route back for him into United’s starting XI.

And amid news that a permanent move to the Nou Camp could be brought forward, that will be music to Ratcliffe’s ears, with the player’s homegrown status meaning his sale will go down as pure profit on United’s books.

That, along with the official removal of his salary being taken off United’s books, will hand the club a significant financial boost as they prepare for further team strengthening in the January window. And despite some speculation over Ruben Amorim’s future, we understand they very much plan to back their manager during the winter window, with the club currently having no thoughts on ending his reign.

Rashford has already taken a pay cut to secure his move to Barcelona and will have no hesitation in securing a permanent move to Catalonia if the opportunity arises.

Given his troubles at Old Trafford, that certainly looks the best solution for all parties.

Speaking after the win on Tyneside on Thursday, Flick insisted he had no hesitation in signing the England international on loan.

speaking post-match, Barca boss Hansi Flick explained why signing Rashford was a no-brainer.

“When we got this chance, it was ok, we had to do it,” the German said. “I spoke with him before everything went the right way.

“I said: ‘I want to have you in my team’. For me, he’s an outstanding player. Also, the team helps him a lot.

“We controlled the match a lot with Pedri, Frenkie De Jong, it’s not easy to press us. That allows the striker to find the right spaces behind the opponent’s last line and in front.

“He had this strength that he can use. His speed, his control with the ball and his finishing is unbelievable.”

When asked how long he sees himself playing for Bara, Rashford commented: “As many [seasons] as possible. We will see.

“I have to focus on trying to do my job and trying to help the team in whichever way I can.”

Latest Man Utd news: Juventus stat monster wanted; Baleba race heats up

Meanwhile, United are at risk of missing out on Carlos Baleba, with TEAMtalk sources revealing that one of their fiercest rivals are open to hijacking a possible deal, though the player will not come cheap.

Elsewhere, a high-profile United star is expected to leave the club in 2026 and one side will ‘spare no expense’ with an offer that is already tempting the player.

On the incoming front, United are understood to be ready to battle Liverpool over a deal for a Juventus stat monster, with sources indicating 2026 could prove a ‘flashpoint’ in his career.

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