Why Marcus Rashford’s Move To Barcelona Is A Win-Win For All Involved

Marcus Rashford’s move to Barcelona falls into that all too rare category of football transfers as it represents a win-win scenario for all parties involved.

The LaLiga giants completed the signing of the England international on loan last week, in a deal that includes an option to buy for £26m ($35m).

Barcelona had been looking to add an experienced player to their squad as cover for both the left wing and centre-forward position and Rashford, who made his debut on Sunday in a friendly against Japanese side Vissel Kobe, fits the profile.

The Catalans had made Athletic Club winger Inaki Williams their main target and were ready to trigger his £50.3m ($67.9m) release clause.

Despite agreeing personal terms with the club and the player, Barcelona pulled out of the deal after Williams demanded an exit clause to be included in the contract, should the Catalans fail to register him with LaLiga.

With Liverpool’s £87m ($117m) valuation of Luis Diaz considered too steep, Barcelona diverted their attention to Rashford.

Significantly cheaper than Williams and Diaz, the 27-year-old is a calculated gamble for the Catalans.

Should Rashford rediscover the form that had made him one of the most in-demand forwards in European football five years ago, Barcelona will have a real asset on their hands.

Conversely, should he continue to struggle as he did at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, Barcelona can ship him back to Old Trafford at the end of the season.

The deal is also major success for Rashford and United. The former had wanted to leave his boyhood club after falling out with Amorim, while United were eager to get his £325,000-a-week ($438,000) salary off the books.

“I want to win the biggest trophies and feel like Barcelona is a huge club in the football world so it is the perfect place,” Rashford said at his unveiling by the Spanish club.

“You see with the team last season, they have a young ambitious team and I want to add my qualities, my personality, improve the team and help them win.

“It’s a club where people’s dreams come true and they win big prizes. And what the club stands for really means a lot to me as well. It feels like home and this is a big factor in my choice to come here.”

Can Marcus Rashford rediscover his form?

Rashford moved to Aston Villa on loan in January, scoring four goals and providing six assists in 17 appearances in all competitions and returning to the England squad in March.

He started each of the four Champions League fixtures he played at Villa, but was in the starting XI in only four of his 10 appearances in the Premier League before a hamstring injury brought his season to a premature end in May.

Villa had an option to buy Rashford for £40m ($50.3m), but failure to qualify for the Champions League and their precarious financial position in terms of the Premier League’s Profity and Sustainability Rules (PSR) meant they decided against it.

For his part, Rashford had long indicated Barcelona was his dream move and he becomes the first British player to join the Blaugrana since Mark Hughes and Gary Lineker signed from United and Everton respectively in 1986,

He was linked with a move to the Camp Nou back in 2019 and again in 2022, when his stock was far higher than it is now.

A loan move to Catalonia was mooted in January, but never materialized.

“I was clear on my preference from the beginning. It didn’t work out in January so I went to Aston Villa and enjoyed a good period there,” he said.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to play there. The summer came around very quickly, it was time to make another decision.

“My choice was easy. It’s a family club, something I’m used to from my past.”

Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions in the 2022-23 season, but hasn’t hit the double-digit mark in terms of Premier League goals in the past two campaigns.

He scored seven goals in all competitions for United last term, but last featured in the Europa League against Viktoria Plzen on December 12.

Amorim subsequently criticized his perceived lack of effort and once Rashford returned to Manchester earlier this summer, he was one five players along with Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia told to train away from the first squad.

United, meanwhile, took the No10 jersey off Rashford and handed it to new signing Matheus Cunha, who arrived from Wolverhampton in June after they triggered his £62.5m ($83.7m) release clause.

It is a dramatic fall from grace for the 27-year-old, who signed a five-year deal at Old Trafford in 2023 after hitting a career-best 30 goals in all competitions only two years ago.

“The situation with United is, the club is in a period of change and they have been for a while,” Rashford said of United during his presentation in Barcelona.

“I don’t have anything bad to say about Manchester United, it’s been an important part of not only my career but my life.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to play for them but football is the same as life and not everything goes as simply as you may have thought.

“I just wish them all the best. I hope they are successful in the future.”

Will Barcelona be able to register Marcus Rashford?

While Rashford’s move to Catalonia suits all parties, Barcelona face a more immediate problem in the shape of being able to register him.

The Spanish giants have had longstanding issues registering players due to LaLiga’s strict financial regulations.

Last year, the Spanish government had to intervene to allow Barcelona to complete the registration of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor.

LaLiga maintains that Barcelona are over their salary limit, as they have spent more on transfer and wages last season than they made in revenue.

In theory at least, that means Rashford cannot be registered to play this season and neither can fellow new signings Joan Garcia, Wojciech Szczesny and Roony Bardghji.

It is why Williams wanted an exit clause included in his deal, which Barcelona sporting director Deco refused.

Barcelona can now either move some of their high earners off the books or find some new revenue streams to allow them to register their new signings.

Players who are not registered with LaLiga cannot play in any domestic competition in Spain, nor in the Champions League.

Over the years, Barcelona have pulled several “financial levers” to increase revenue, the latest being the sale of 25 years of future income from 475 VIP boxes at the Camp Nou – whose reconstruction is still not complete – back in December.