Manchester United have made it clear that Marcus Rashford will not remain with them any longer…
Marcus Rashford spent the final half of the 2024/2025 season on loan at Aston Villa, and has expressed his desire to join Barcelona in recent times, Soccernet.ng reports.
The five-time UEFA Champions League winners were also rumoured to be interested in the England International, although their initial target was Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams.
Williams penned a new ten-year deal with Bilbao, ending Barcelona’s pursuit. Their second option, Luis Diaz, is keen on a move to Bayern Munich who have already parted ways with Leroy Sane and Thomas Muller.
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Rashford’s release clause stands at €40m, but surprisingly, Barca favour a higher fee for Nigerian and Atalanta winger, Ademola Lookman.
As per Football 365, Rashford’s dream of playing at the Spotify Camp Nou has hit a snag, as Barca’s coach, Hansi Flick, prefers Lookman.
Lookman’s record since moving to Atalanta has been nothing short of sensational. The CAF Player of the Year has scored 52 goals and provided 25 assists in 118 games for La Dea.
Catalan outlet, Sport, reports that the 27-year-old could be available for less than €50 million.
“The Blaugrana have other options on the table, such as Rafa Leao, and are also reportedly keeping a close eye on the situation of Atalanta star Ademola Lookman,” journalist Lluis Miguelsanz wrote.
“He’s a player Flick likes, but his situation isn’t encouraging because relations with his entourage are currently strained.
“Lookman has been trying for years to make the big leap from Atalanta to a top-flight Champions League club, but so far no one has taken the step to sign him.
“The Italian club took a chance by signing him from Leipzig for €10 million, and he’s exploded onto the scene. He’s been gaining international prominence and is now a more mature player, although he needs to take a definitive step to establish himself at the elite level, as his performance is still very inconsistent.
“He’s a pure winger, fast and capable of scoring goals, and he can play in all attacking positions, something Barça highly valued in Luis Díaz, the leading candidate to fill that position if financially possible.
“Atalanta would be willing to negotiate his sale for less than €50 million because his contract expires in 2027 and he hasn’t renewed yet, and Tottenham are strongly interested in signing him.”
Another stumbling block between Lookman and Barcelona is German goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. According to One Football, the Barcelona shotstopper shares the same agency as the Atalanta forward.
The 2025 La Liga Champions are trying to force the former Borussia Mönchengladbach man out of the club, and talks between the agency and the club are broken, meaning a conversation with Lookman cannot even be held at this point.
“The major handicap is that Lookman shares a representation agency with Marc-André ter Stegen, and problems with the goalkeeper are brewing.
“The German will push hard to stay at Barça, and this could create an awkward situation for all parties, which could significantly impact relations with Lookman’s entourage. For now, Barça only has information about his situation, like that of many wingers, but nothing has been done about it.”
In the meantime, Rashford is keen on a move to Barcelona after Manchester United gave his number 10 jersey to new recruit, Matheus Cunha.
Whether or not Lookman wants to move to Spain is unknown at the moment, but the situation with Ter Stegen makes a potential deal complicated as well.
Additionally, Barça are still looking to offload unwanted players before truly diving into the summer transfer window.