Barcelona have until June 15 to decide whether Marcus Rashford is worth the £26 million purchase option in his loan deal. The numbers on the pitch are not the problem. Rashford has 14 goals and 14 assists across all competitions for Barcelona in 2025/26, but the contract side of the move is doing most of the damage now.

Why Barcelona are hesitating

The fee is only part of it. Reports have also raised the wages attached to the move, and that is why the story has drifted away from simple form watching. Barcelona are said to be thinking about renegotiating the purchase option rather than paying the full amount, which is a fair sign they like Rashford but do not want to rush into a clean buy.

Hansi Flick did praise him after the season run-in. "I'm very happy with Marcus. He has shown his quality and he scored an important goal. I can't say anything about his future, we have to focus on the matches until the end of the season," he said. Rashford was also direct about his own outlook: "It's really good. I come here to win. So this is, I want to win as many things as I can. So, this is one more to add to this. Yeah, this team is a wonderful team. They're going to win so much in the future as well. So, to be a part of that would be special. So we will see."

Rashford scored against Real Madrid in El Clasico on May 10 before Flick praised him after the match. That is the best case for keeping him, but Barcelona's priority this summer is also being reported as a new number nine rather than Rashford.

Bayern are there, but not as the main answer

Marca say Rashford is not answering calls from other clubs, including Bayern München. That matters because it leaves Barcelona in control of the decision rather than in a bidding fight. It also fits the sense around the move: there is interest, but not enough momentum to make this feel settled.

For now, the issue is blunt. Barcelona have a deadline, a fee and a wage bill to weigh against a player who has produced 28 goal contributions and says he wants to win. If they want him, they need to move by June 15. If not, Rashford returns to Manchester United with the loan chapter still unfinished.

Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →