Can Rashford really secure his dream permanent move to Barca from Man Utd?

There was a time when if you said Rashford was a league title winner, it would have meant the glory days had returned to Manchester United. The Wythenshawe-born striker was once synonymous with the youth programme that United boast about, but now he's a history-maker at Spotify Camp Nou and his future is stuck in limbo.

Rashford's preference is to stay in Barcelona beyond his season-long loan from Old Trafford; the only thing stopping him from making that a reality is that he's not a "magician". From his own words, if he were, he'd stay in Spain.

Rashford brilliance helps Barca seal LaLiga with Clasico win

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The landscape for Rashford is different now. He's not only a LaLiga winner with Barcelona, but he's a history-maker. He'll always be remembered in Catalonia for his ninth-minute Clasico free-kick that helped them seal the league against Barca's arch-rivals Real Madrid.

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Despite his 14 goals and 14 assists for Barcelona this season in all competitions, there's been this overall feeling that his move to the Spanish giants has left a lot to be desired. That isn't the case now; the decision to sign Rashford was vindicated by one free-kick, one performance in one Clasico.

Away from that, though, Rashford is playing some of the most productive football of his career in Spain. His 87 minutes per goal or assist for Barcelona is his best of his entire career. His role at Barcelona has been a far cry from the level of responsibility he had at Old Trafford but his contributions have been vital.

With injuries all across the forward line at varying levels throughout the season, Rashford has remained fit and ready to be called upon. During El Clasico, his first start in a month, he filled in for Lamine Yamal on the right-hand side.

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His versatility has also seen him come in for the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha across the season. It's been a change to Rashford's status within a wider squad in his career but it's a change he's taken on with no complaints.

Among the squad, he's a popular figure also, forming a close relationship with Roony Bardgjhi and is looked upon as one of the side's most experienced players in a young Barca squad.

There's no doubt that he's left a positive impression in Barcelona; now, the newly-crowned champions would like him to stay at Spotify Camp Nou, but that isn't without its obstacles.

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Barcelona have a £26m option to buy Rashford this summer as per the loan terms they agreed with United in July. The financial problems at Barcelona have now forced them into a difficult position, where they simply cannot honour the original agreement, and they need to renegotiate with United.

However, the problem is that United are not interested in renegotiating the fee, and Sky Sports News understands there is confidence he could be sold for a higher fee elsewhere.

If Barcelona are not prepared to pay the option, that would leave Rashford in cold storage, as from his perspective, a return to Carrington this summer for pre-season is unthinkable. However, Rashford, who is under contract at Old Trafford until 2028, is still a United player and will be expected to behave as such.

Rashford no longer even has a squad number available at Old Trafford, which reflects the fresh start that both United and the player were more than happy to take last summer.

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Some point to the relationship Rashford has with Michael Carrick, his former team-mate, or the 28-year-old's recent social media activity, congratulating his boyhood club on qualifying for the Champions League as giving a lifeline to Rashford's United career.

However, despite Carrick being in a strong position to be handed the permanent role at United, Sky Sports News were told last month that both the player, his representatives and the club will continue to work on securing him a permanent move away from Old Trafford.

Speaking last month, Carrick said no decision had been made on his future.