Barcelona make £26m Marcus Rashford decision as Man Utd wantaway responds

Barcelona will reportedly not exercise their £26m option to sign Marcus Rashford permanently this summer, with the forward already removing all mention of the Catalan club from his Instagram bio

Barcelona are reportedly set to pass on their £26million option to permanently sign Marcus Rashford from Manchester United this summer. The England star has already scrubbed any reference to the Catalan side from his Instagram bio.

Rashford, 28, is now poised to return to United following this summer’s World Cup, unless a transfer can be arranged with another club in the interim. The option to sign him is believed to expire on Monday, two days prior to England’s opening match against Group L rivals Croatia.

The Spanish champions have effectively opted for Anthony Gordon over Rashford. They finalised a £60million deal with Newcastle United late last month.

Marca reports that ties between Rashford and Barcelona have been severed, with the club bidding farewell to last season’s loanee as he won’t be returning next term.

They suggest that the acquisition of Gordon indicated their interest in signing Rashford on a permanent basis was dwindling.

The publication underscores how both players occupy the same position, with Raphinha expected to be the starting striker. The financial implications of Gordon’s signing also play a part, reports the Mirror.

When factoring in wages, both would cost roughly the same amount annually. However, Gordon is three-and-a-half years Rashford’s junior and presses more effectively, which is what Hansi Flick desires.

The head coach’s view is understood to have been crucial to their choice not to trigger the option. Concerns allegedly started to emerge within the club’s sporting hierarchy, which encompasses Deco and Flick.

Rashford has chatted to Gordon about Barcelona while in England’s squad, despite the uncertainty surrounding his future. The latter revealed to talkSPORT: “He was just telling me how good the lads are there, the team spirit that they have, which I heard already from the people in Barca.

“So I’m really looking forward to joining up with them. He was also telling me about the city, places to live. He’s a lovely guy, very caring. So he was just giving me a bit of information.”

Rashford declared as far back as October last year that he wished to remain at Barcelona. When questioned whether he did during a chat with ESPN, he replied: “Oh yeah, for sure.

“I’m enjoying this football club, and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game. For a player, it is an honour.”