Marcus Rashford has already made an impression on loan at Barcelona and the Catalan giants have reportedly made a decision on a permanent transfer.
Manchester United outcast Rashford spent the second half of last season on loan with Premier League rivals Aston Villa and did enough to attract the attention of Barcelona, his preferred destination when he first left Old Trafford on a temporary basis.
The England international forward got his loan move to La Liga in the summer and has continued to impress with the Spanish champions.
Head coach Hansi Flick has started the Red Devils loanee twice in the league and gave him the nod from the beginning of Barcelona's Champions League visit to Newcastle United last week.
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Rashford scored both goals at St James' Park to condemn the Magpies to defeat in their first league phase match.
According to Rob Dorsett and Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports, Barcelona are responding positively to the 27-year-old's progress.
"Despite still having three years left on his current deal with Manchester United, Rashford currently looks unlikely to have any future at Old Trafford and is focused on making the best impact he can at Barcelona," report Dorsett and Thomas.
"Barca are delighted with the progress of Rashford and are said to be very enthusiastic about how he is settling into the club and the city."
The report comes hot on the heels of Rashford being 'two minutes late' for a recent meeting.
While Barcelona are happy with their loan star, there's no immediate appetite to push for a permanent transfer.
The Catalan club has a reported option to buy at €30m already baked into the loan agreement and it's understood that there's no known difference between Barcelona's valuation of the player and the option to buy clause.
"With his further progress on and off the field and the club's long-term financial parameters still to consider, triggering that option is not something Barcelona are expected to discuss until the end of the campaign," according to Sky Sports.
Rashford's road to redemption
Former Man Utd youth Rashford was bombed out of his boyhood club by head coach Ruben Amorim, whose no-nonsense approach to unwanted players has rubbed more than a few of them up the wrong way since his appointment last autumn.
Rashford's reputation suffered so much from various innuendos about his commitment that he was considered by many observers to be a gamble for Villa in January.
He proved his worth with some excellent match-winning performances under Unai Emery and has continued to win plaudits in a new league in 2025-26.
Topics: Football, La Liga, Barcelona, Manchester United, Marcus Rashford
Chris Nee