--- source: thedugout.football generated: 2026-06-17T13:22:52.009Z last_updated: 2026-06-17T03:00:00+00:00 data_provider: API-Football canonical: https://thedugout.football/clubs/manchester-united/news/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWFuY2hlc3RlcmV2ZW5pbmduZXdzLmNvLnVrL3Nwb3J0L2Zvb3RiYWxsL3RyYW5zZmVyLW5ld3MvbWFuLXV0ZC1yYXNoZm9yZC10cmFuc2Zlci1iYXJjZWxvbmEtMzQxMzEzMjA --- # Marcus Rashford transfer saga gives Man United chance to show they've changed - **Source:** - **Published:** 17 Jun - **Club:** Manchester United - **Original URL:** https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/man-utd-rashford-transfer-barcelona-34131320 Rashford's priority was to join Barcelona last summer when it became clear staying at Old Trafford was not realistic. Barca wanted the England international but not enough to commit to a transfer straightaway. Instead, they wanted to agree a loan deal with an option to buy the forward. At the time, this was deemed acceptable. Rashford had done fine at Aston Villa and the fear of keeping a player Ruben Amorim did not want, outweighed the need to sell him permanently. Besides, Rashford could rebuild his profile in La Liga. The 28-year-old did just that, recording 14 goals and as many assists for Barca, including a superb free kick against Real Madrid that sealed the title. Get the best United news, updates and analysis straight to your Inbox courtesy of the Manchester Evening News! To get it, it's a simple one-two punch. Barcelona seemed delighted with the winger and Rashford took every chance possible to declare his desire to stay at Camp Nou. And yet, when the season ended, Barca did not want to commit to him. Instead, they signed Anthony Gordon from Newcastle. They then allowed the £26m clause in Rashford's deal to expire and left both the player and his parent club at square one. It is all too similar to the problems United faced when trying to offload Jadon Sancho. Borussia Dortmund stepped in to offer United a solution when Erik ten Hag banished him from the first team. Sancho did well in familiar and comfortable surroundings. But when push came to shove, Dortmund backed out of a permanent deal. United then had to wait until the final day of the 2024 summer transfer window to agree a loan deal with Chelsea. This time, it would be different because Chelsea agreed an obligation to buy Sancho at the end of the season. Or so the Reds thought... Again, when the opportunity came to stump up the cash, Chelsea retreated. They instead opted to pay a £5m penalty fee not to sign Sancho and subsequently end any hope United had of reclaiming money back on the winger. Into his final year, Sancho was always going to leave this summer on a free and that summed up the disappointment of his United career. The same cannot happen with Rashford. Unlike Sancho, Rashford has shown he is worth the modest £26m fee that Barcelona rejected. With two years remaining on his Reds contract, this is United's last hope to reclaim a 'pure profit' transfer fee. Rashford will be putting himself in the shop window tonight when England take on Croatia at the World Cup. If he does well, there will be no end of suitors for his signature this summer. United have set their stall out early though. They will not entertain loan offers for Rashford. If this means he returns for pre-season at Carrington, so be it. United have to draw a line somewhere and insist clubs follow their demands rather than them being dictated to. With Sancho, it was difficult because the player was out of form and the public nature of the fallout between him and United, made negotiating from a position of strength impossible. Rashford is different though and United must be determined to get the right price for the winger. They have to show they are no longer soft touches. Rashford can be the perfect player to hammer that point home with.