‘Barcelona don’t have space to register Marcus Rashford despite Man United deal’
Barcelona may have a problem on their hands when it comes to actually using Marcus Rashford.
It was announced over the weekend that the England forward was travelling to Spain after an agreement was reached with Manchester United over a season-long loan move.
Rashford was ostracised from the first team by Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim over a perceived lack of application in training and spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa.
The 27-year-old scored four goals and provided five assists across 17 appearances in all competitions for Villa but Unai Emery‘s men opted not to make the move permanent after they missed out on Champions League football.
Rashford is reportedly taking a 15-per-cent pay cut (Daily Mail) to make the Barca move happen, with an option to buy said to have been included in the deal.
Barcelona under pressure to get Rashford deal over the line
While things have certainly moved at a pace over the weekend, The Athletic (20 July) have reported one potential snag Barca are facing.
La Liga’s reigning champions have agreed to takeover Rashford’s salary during his loan but are currently over their permitted salary limit.
It means that Barca will either have to move out current players or find new salary streams in order to register Rashford for any competition.
The Athletic added that Barca, who have had well-documented financial issues in recent years, were close to signing Nico Williams but he opted to stay at Athletic Bilbao once it became clear he would not be guaranteed to play.
It means there might be a bit of a wait before Rashford selects a Barcelona shirt number.
Rashford could face similar fate to previous Barcelona targets
While Rashford looks set to be the first Englishman to play for the Blaugrana since Gary Lineker in 1986, the club’s dire financial situation and registration record will worry both sides.
Hansi Flick has been searching for competition on the left of his forward line ahead of Barca’s title defence in the Spanish top flight.
The club’s struggles have already seen them miss out on Williams, who signed a new long-term deal after it became clear Barca were having trouble with registration but, with Man United making key concessions for the Rashford deal, this one should have a different outcome.
| Barcelona’s pre-season fixtures | Date |
| Vissel Kobe vs Barcelona | 27 July |
| FC Seoul vs Barcelona | 31 July |
| Daegu FC vs Barcelona | 4 August |
The Catalan will view Rashford as a potentially easier situation to solve and will be doing all they can to get the deal done ahead of the 2025-26 season, with their first game away to Mallorca on 16 July.
FC Seoul’s Jesse Lingard will also be hoping he will meet his former teammate in the pre-season match on 31 July.
For the Man United academy product, leaving England for the first time offers the chance for him to reinstate himself on the global stage and look to cement his place ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
With a reported buyout clause of €30million (£25.98m), both Rashford and the Red Devils will want a seamless registration and an impactful season for both parties to part ways.