Ornstein: Man United “advancing” on transfer deal that’s likely to impact Liverpool

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford reportedly looks to be advancing towards a loan transfer to Barcelona.

The England international has fallen out of favour at Man Utd since Ruben Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag as manager, but he’d already shown signs of losing his best form before then.

Rashford then spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, and though he didn’t end up joining them permanently, it never seemed likely that he’d be back in the first-team picture with United.

Now it seems Rashford is edging closer towards a loan move to Barca, according to David Ornstein of the Athletic in the post on X below…

? Barcelona advancing on deal to sign Marcus Rashford from Man Utd. Offer via intermediaries loan + buy option. #MUFC have agreed – not done but final stages. Flick approves 27yo England int’l; suits #FCBarcelona on football/financial level @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/n6HWvIbJTp

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 19, 2025

“Barcelona advancing on deal to sign Marcus Rashford from Man Utd,” Ornstein said. “Offer via intermediaries loan + buy option. #MUFC have agreed – not done but final stages. Flick approves 27yo England int’l; suits #FCBarcelona on football/financial level.”

Marcus Rashford transfer to Barcelona surely means an end to Luis Diaz pursuit

Liverpool fans will probably be happy with this news as it now surely means Barcelona won’t be trying again to sign Luis Diaz.

See below as Fabrizio Romano recently reported that Diaz was being targeted by Barcelona and Bayern Munich, who were expected to try again for the Colombia international…

??? Luis Diaz remains open to leave Liverpool this summer, if good proposal arrives for the club.#LFC rejected bids from Bayern and also an approach from Barça in June as they want to keep Diaz.

Both Bayern and Barça plan to try again, in direct contact with his agents. pic.twitter.com/AdP1GqZdXK

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 16, 2025

Diaz was perhaps a more difficult target, though, and so Barcelona have ended up going for Rashford instead, with United unsurprisingly happy to let him go.

Diaz should in theory still have a key role to play at Liverpool, so although he would have been a better option for Barcelona, it would also have been a harder deal to pull off.

Can Rashford revive his career at Barca?

Rashford showed some signs of getting back to his best during his brief stint at Villa Park, but it wasn’t enough to convince Unai Emery to keep him permanently.

In truth, it’s very hard to imagine now that Rashford has much more to offer at the highest level, so this looks like a gamble from Barcelona.

It is just a loan, though, so the Catalan giants will perhaps feel it’s a decent enough deal to give them some squad depth for one season.

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