Marcus Rashford's future is still hanging between a Manchester United reset and a sale that has not really come together. Manchester United have invited Marcus Rashford to be part of their Amazon documentary, while Barcelona's permanent option has already expired. His £325,000-a-week wages, signed off in a five-year deal in July 2023, are the other obvious brake on any clean exit.

Barcelona walked away first

The Spanish move was never going to solve everything on its own, but it did narrow the picture. Barcelona rejected the option to make the move permanent in a £24m deal, and other reporting has said they opted not to activate their £26m buy clause. Either way, the end point was the same: Rashford did not stay in Catalonia.

Rashford also said he had been clear about his timing before the World Cup. "I was very clear with everyone involved before the World Cup, I wanted [a transfer] done before. If it's not, I wanted it to wait until after," he told standard.co.uk. He added that he wanted to be fully present in the moment, because they were fighting for something special.

United are leaving the door open

The documentary invitation is the clearest sign that United are not treating this like a closed case. Fabrizio Romano said Rashford is going to restart pre-season with United and that Michael Carrick is really looking forward to that moment. Romano also said Carrick wants to work with him again, though a good proposal could still take him away before the end of the window.

That lines up with the awkward reality around the deal. Alex Crook said Rashford has not even been given a squad number, while Matheus Cunha has taken his shirt. It is a messy setup for a player who may still be part of the squad, or may still leave if a serious offer appears.

The wage issue is the biggest reason this has dragged on. £325,000 a week is a serious commitment for any buying club, and it helps explain why the market has narrowed so much. Rashford is back in United's orbit, but this still looks more like a late-summer decision than a quick one.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 8 outlets. How we work →