Manchester United left winger Marcus Rashford is one of the biggest names on the January 2025 transfer market, as Borussia Dortmund have been closely linked to the perennially disappointing England international after Donyell Malen’s departure to Aston Villa this winter.
But now, another European giant have joined Dortmund in the race to sign Rashford, FC Barcelona. According to a report from Toni Juanmarti of Diario Sport, one of the two largest Barcelona-based news outlets, Rashford’s representatives had a meeting with the Blaugrana’s sporting director Deco on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
The meeting actually took place in Portuguese capital Lisbon. Deco, of course, is a Portuguese international. Barcelona would like to sign Rashford this winter on loan and there is mutual interest between the player and club, but Barca would first need to sort out the situations of Eric Garcia and Ansu Fati in order to facilitate a deal.
Recently, Barcelona came under fire for not having the budget to register Dani Olmo or Pau Victor, but LaLiga have allowed both attackers to play anyway. That likely wouldn’t be the case for an incoming transfer like Rashford, hence the need to let Fati and Garcia exit.
But there’s a lot of smoke recently linking Rashford with a move to Barcelona in their efforts to win the LaLiga title over Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Let’s take a look at why Barcelona want Rashford and how he would fit manager Hansi Flick’s new system.
Marcus Rashford is low-risk, high-reward
Because Marcus Rashford would be a loan signing for six months, Barcelona wouldn’t have to spend anything to get a potentially world-class forward who can help them shore up the title.
“Potential” is a tricky word here, since Rashford hasn’t been effective since the second half of the 2022/23 season. But this is a guy who had two 17-goal seasons in the Premier League and, in terms of his technical ability and experience, could be one of the top forwards in LaLiga at his best.
That’s a strong acquisition for a loan signing, and because Rashford has failed to consistently make an impact at Manchester United and doesn’t even fit what Ruben Amorim wants to do at Old Trafford, it could be easy for Barca to sign him to an affordable transfer fee in June 2025 if he impresses in Catalunya.
I’ve always maintained over the years that Rashford needs to spread his wings and leave not only Manchester United, but the Premier League as a whole in order to be all that he can be.
There’s a certain stench that lingers when a ballyhooed young player fails to thrive under an inordinate amount of pressure in a singular location. Rashford has been made a target over the years by the English press and become something of a symbol of disappointment in Manchester, unfairly saddled mentally by this everlasting burden.
So for the mere price of covering his wages, Barcelona could unearth a guy who, at times in his career, has looked like one of the best forwards in the world. Just ask PSG.Â
Barcelona could use a top LW
As much as Real Madrid came into the 2024/25 season with all the hype around their attacking quartet of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Jude Bellingham, and, now, Kylian Mbappe, it has been Barcelona who boast the best attacking trident up top in European football.
Raphinha solidified his status as one of the Ballon d’Or favorites by tearing apart Real Madrid in the Supercup Final, Robert Lewandowski is the Pichichi favorite with 16 goals, and young Lamine Yamal is a better pure footballer than all of them already.
So if Marcus Rashford comes to the Camp Nou, he arrives, like Mbappe, with a sense of liberation that his new team doesn’t NEED him to be a savior. They are already elite in an attacking sense.
All they need from Rashford is a boost as a right-footed left winger who can primarily score goals and supplement the poaching that Lewandowski does in the middle.
He can help give Yamal and Raphinha much-needed rest so those two can be at their explosive best. He can either start on the left when Raphinha needs rest or start on the left when Yamal needs time off, with Raphinha then swapping over to his previous position on the right-hand side.
This past summer, Barcelona were frequently linked to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Rafael Leao on the left wing. Their need for either decreased significantly in light of Raphinha’s breakout under Hansi Flick, but there is still an interest from Joan Laporta in a top winger, with Leao remaining a favorite of the president’s despite rumored internal disagreement.
Because the registration scandal shows how dire Barca’s financial predicament still is, Leao is likely just as off the table as Kvaradona, who transferred to PSG this winter.
Rashford is now the best available left winger for Barcelona and is, at least this winter, right in their price range.
How Marcus Rashford fits
Hansi Flick has turned Barcelona into the best counterattacking team in world football and also the best team at quickly making an outlet pass up top and driving forward, with Raphinha functioning as a playmaking pivot, a conduit quickly turning defense into attack with a cold first touch and blistering pace.
Marcus Rashford isn’t half as fast or quick as either Raphinha or Yamal, nor is he has skilled as those two players. But he is skilled in a different, more technical way, as evidenced by his mastery of the exceedingly difficult knuckleball free kick.
Thus, Rashford will help Barcelona more when they are in possession against the LaLiga sides that sit back in a low block and have solved a lot of Flick’s wrinkles, which is why they’ve struggled to get points against opponents that should be a lot easier than the Real Madrid side they have now embarrassed twice.
Barcelona will be getting a left winger who only needs a half-inch of space in the half-spaces to deliver an accurate finish and has the intelligence to make subtle movements in and around the box that open up shooting opportunities for a striker or playmaker.
Rashford has never worked with a No. 9 with half of Lewandowski’s quality, and Barcelona can thus use Rashford in a supportive role to their free-scoring striker, which means second-chance opportunities for both men.
