Marcus Rashford could be joined by England teammate in Barcelona

Marcus Rashford’s stock fell to an all-time low last season as Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim took him out of the first team. A loan move to Aston Villa had bright spots but ultimately failed to inspire many that he had turned a corner.

Therefore, a loan move to Barcelona came a surprise to many, given the plethora of exciting talent already possessed by the La Liga side. With Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres at their disposal, it was hard to see where he fitted into the starting lineup.

After all, this was side that won the league title, Copa del Rey and came agonisingly close to a place in the UEFA Champions League final last season. However, the loan move was agreed between Barcelona and United, and so far it has paid off.

Rashford’s scored six goals and grabbed seven assists in 16 appearances across all competitions, with only Eric Garcia (1,209) having tallied up more minutes on the pitch than Rashford (1,128). Overall, his efforts have been recognised, winning the Player of the Match award following a win over Elche in the league, as well as two more for braces over Newcastle United and Olympiacos in the Champions League.

The performances of Rashford have even led to many predicting that Barcelona will trigger the option to buy clause, a claim that was quickly ruled out by the club’s sporting director and former midfielder Deco.

Meanwhile, the future of one of Rashford’s teammates is also up in the air. The Guardian have reported that Polish striker Robert Lewandowski could be set to leave the club when his contract expires in the summer.

The 37-year-old is seen as one of the greatest strikers of his generation. He has recorded 108 goals in 158 games for Barcelona in a career that has totalled over 700 in 906. Injuries have started to take their toll on Lewandowski, missing 13 games for the club since the start of the 2024/25 season through three different types of injury.

This caused him to miss a key part of the season. He was absent from their two-legged affair with Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-final. They missed out on a spot in the final thanks to a 7-6 aggregate defeat and Lewandowski’s availability may have been the difference between advancing and not.

With the age of Lewandowski and recent injury history, the club are said to be looking at a replacement, and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane is being routed as their first choice. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker’s contract ends in June 2027, but Barcelona may see this as a chance to get him on a cheaper deal with one year left.

Kane has done what he set out to do at Bayern, finally winning a trophy. He has been tipped with a return to the Premier League and is just 47 goals off Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League scoring record. The appeal of Barcelona may be an offer too hard to turn down for the 32-year-old who’ll be used to linking up with Rashford after the pair have reunited for England after Rashford’s recall under Thomas Tuchel.