Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has ruled out selling Marcus Rashford to a Premier League rival. The 28-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Barcelona, returned to training at Carrington on Sunday following his summer break after the World Cup.
Rashford back in United squad
Rashford then travelled to Dublin to team up with the rest of the United squad ahead of Wednesday's pre-season fixture against Leeds United at Croke Park. He is planning to hold talks with manager Michael Carrick after United's trip to Ireland and this Saturday's game against AC Milan in Poland.
But Rashford's immediate future is unclear and complicated. According to The Mirror, Ratcliffe is keen to get the England international off the club's wage bill, but is not willing to sell to Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester City.
Loan moves blocked
It's added that Ratcliffe is not prepared to loan him out to a direct Premier League rival either, with Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham understood to have wanted Rashford until the end of the season. This is because if Rashford was to help any of those clubs finish in the Champions League, it would prove 'embarrassing' to United bosses.
Although Rashford is open to the idea of forcing a route back into Carrick's XI at United, his preference would be to find a new club and continue his career revival elsewhere. He has the option of running down the remaining 24 months of his United deal, and leaving Old Trafford on a free transfer in 2028.
Barcelona loan stats
Rashford could even use this season to put himself in the shop window to secure his dream move in 2027 - something he tried to do at Barcelona. During his season-long loan at Camp Nou, Rashford impressed, scoring 14 goals and providing 14 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions.
Barca had a £26million option to buy Rashford, but decided against triggering that clause and instead went and signed Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for £69m.
There was talk that Barca could loan Rashford again, but head coach Hansi Flick ruled that out following his side's pre-season trip to Birmingham City earlier this month. "You don't know what happens with players who are on loan - our situation is not easy for that," Flick said at the time.
"But I appreciate working with him [Rashford]. He is a fantastic player and a fantastic person. The team miss him, I will miss him, but it is life. This is what we have to accept. And in the end, Anthony Gordon comes and from the first call with him when I spoke with him, he is on fire with Barca and I'm really happy that he's on our team."
