Barcelona pull plug on Rashford deal as Deco rues mistake after Man Utd set two conditions

Joe Williams
Man Utd loanee Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford has been on loan at Barcelona from Man Utd this season.

Barcelona are set to pull the plug on their attempts to sign Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford as Deco regrets the transfer, according to reports.

The Red Devils allowed the England international to leave Old Trafford in the summer with Rashford joining Barcelona on a season-long loan deal.

Rashford has largely impressed at Barcelona and there has been constant talk about whether the Catalan giants will choose to trigger his €30m buyout clause or not in the summer.

Barcelona have been attempting to renegotiate a deal for the 28-year-old, but Man Utd are refusing to budge, while the La Liga giants would ideally like a second loan for the Englishman.

Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg revealed on Tuesday that Barcelona have been in talks with Man Utd over a new deal for Rashford.

Plettenberg wrote on X: “Understand Barcelona are pushing for a second loan for Marcus #Rashford.

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“Talks with Manchester United are ongoing.

“Barcelona currently do not want to trigger the €30m option to buy – ideally a second loan, otherwise they want to negotiate the fee down. #MUFC

“In any case, Rashford should stay. Approved by Hansi Flick. @SkySportDE.”

Another journalist, Ben Jacobs, also gave his take on the situation: “As revealed in January, Barcelona suggested a second loan of Marcus Rashford.

“Rashford wants to stay, and has already agreed terms.

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“Still no breakthrough in talks with Manchester United, leading to suggestions of cooled interest and Barcelona looking at other options.

“Yet the idea of Barcelona signing Rashford hasn’t ended.

“Remains a chance it happens on the right terms.

“As of now, #MUFC not budging on the €30m option to buy needing to be paid.”

Barcelona are set to ‘abandon’ their pursuit of Rashford

There have been reports from Spanish newspaper Sport that Barcelona have now ‘abandoned’ a deal for Rashford with Tottenham now having ‘genuine interest’ in signing the Man Utd forward if they survive in the Premier League.

And now fresh reports in Spain back that stance up by hinting that the Catalan giants are ready to pull the plug as Deco regrets the move for Rashford last summer.

After watching Luis Diaz’s brilliant performance in Bayern Munich’s 5-4 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday night, Deco ‘knows that Rashford shouldn’t have been chosen’ over the Colombia international.

Rashford ‘has not delivered the same level of performance’ as former Liverpool winger Diaz with the signing of the Man Utd player not ‘the wisest choice’

The report adds:

‘The truth is that the Colombian was their priority target in the last summer transfer window, but the deal never materialised. Instead, the club ended up signing Rashford , a decision that now raises questions.

‘In this context, Deco’s role comes under scrutiny. The sporting director opted for an alternative that, on paper, offered experience and versatility, but one that hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. Rashford remains a quality player, but his inconsistency and intermittent impact contrast sharply with the consistency Luis Diaz has shown in key matches for Bayern. This difference is significant, especially when analysing high-stakes games. Furthermore, Rashford’s situation remains uncertain. It seems the loan spell hasn’t been entirely convincing, and the Englishman could return to Manchester.’