Rashford challenges Barcelona's star Yamal in training! Details of Barcelona's summer transfer purchase revealed, still hoping for a Manchester United price reduction

A video of Rashford dueling Barcelona’s key player Yamal during training has recently gone viral on social media. The 28-year-old English talent skillfully dribbled left and right, escaping the Spanish prodigy’s defense before firing a low shot with his left foot that narrowly missed the goal. Classic Rashford moves!

However, according to "Sporting News," Barcelona has informed the winger on loan from Manchester United that they hope he will remain with the club once his loan ends this summer. Rashford joined Barcelona on loan last July for one year, including a €30 million buyout clause that will take effect at the end of this season. If Barcelona exercises the buyout, they will also owe an additional €5 million in performance-related bonuses based on Rashford’s displays.

Under Hans Flick’s management, Rashford has secured regular playing time, scoring 7 goals and providing 11 assists in 26 matches across all competitions. His performances have earned praise from both the coach and the club, while his dream of joining Barcelona has won over fans, with over half of Barca supporters in a poll hoping he stays. Of course, some Manchester United fans might be mixed in there too!

Although Rashford fell out of favor under former Manchester United coach Amorim, the decision to let him go was not entirely the choice of the 40-year-old Portuguese manager. Manchester United was also dissatisfied with Rashford’s lack of commitment, so Amorim’s departure will not change Rashford’s future trajectory.

Rashford’s last appearance for Manchester United was on December 12, 2024, in a Europa League match against Viktoria Plzeň, which likely marked his farewell to the Red Devils. Three days later, he was left out of the squad for the derby against Manchester City by Amorim, who was unhappy with Rashford’s off-field lifestyle. Amorim even stated he would rather have the 63-year-old goalkeeping coach on the bench than a player who doesn’t give full effort in training.

Manchester United initially loaned Rashford to Aston Villa, where he scored 4 goals in 17 appearances at Villa Park and performed well before a hamstring injury ended his season early. Villa lost to Manchester United in the Premier League’s final round, missing out on Champions League qualification and thus abandoning the £40 million option to buy Rashford permanently.

Last July, Rashford fulfilled his Camp Nou dream as part of the loan deal, with Barcelona covering his full salary while Rashford agreed to a 15% pay cut. This season, Rashford has started 12 La Liga matches, and Barcelona leads the table by 4 points over Real Madrid, putting him in contention for his first league title.

Rashford has repeatedly expressed his desire to stay at Barcelona after his loan ends. "I’m really enjoying my time at the new club, and I believe Barcelona is one of the most important clubs in football history for anyone who loves the game," he said.

Now, he has received a response from Barcelona, with the La Liga leaders signaling to his agent their willingness to continue the partnership. Whether from Barcelona’s mouthpieces "Mundo Deportivo" and "Sport" or even Real Madrid-leaning "AS," the consensus is that Rashford is more likely to remain at Barcelona than to leave the club.

However, Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed that Barcelona has not guaranteed they will activate the €30 million buyout clause.

“Barcelona has informed Rashford and his team that they want to keep him after this season,” Romano said. “But they have not guaranteed that the €30 million buyout option will be triggered; the final decision depends on Barcelona’s financial situation and will be made later. Still, Barcelona is very pleased with Rashford.”

Romano elaborated: “In the past 24 hours, messages from Barcelona indicate that in talks with Rashford’s agent, the club has expressed their desire for him to stay after this season. Rashford is currently on loan, and the €30 million buyout clause is not mandatory. Barcelona has told Rashford they are very satisfied with him. Manchester United is also aware of Barcelona’s intention to keep Rashford. However, it is still too early, so Barcelona will not trigger the €30 million buyout clause at this moment. The club has only communicated their intention to retain him for now.”

"AS" further added that the only unresolved issue is how Rashford’s stay will be arranged: whether Barcelona will pay the €30 million transfer fee outright or convince Manchester United to extend the loan for another year.

English media outlet "TEAMtalk" transfer reporter Fraser Fletcher stated that Barcelona hopes Manchester United will reduce the buyout price to €20 million, possibly achieved through installments or various incentive schemes.