Barcelona REJECTED €70m ‘complete’ winger to sign Marcus Rashford from Man Utd – report

Barcelona turned down the chance to sign a Dutch winger to focus on getting a deal done with Manchester United for Marcus Rashford, according to a report in Spain, with the Bundesliga star now being chased by Chelsea.

Rashford completed his dream move to Barcelona from Man Utd on Wednesday. The Spanish champions announced on their official website that Rashford has joined Hansi Flick’s side on loan until June 2026, with Barcelona also having the option to make it permanent.

TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, has long reported that Rashford’s dream was to join Barcelona.

The forward was keen on joining Barcelona in the January transfer window, but the Blaugrana could not get a deal done with Man Utd, and the Englishman moved to Aston Villa on loan until the end of last season instead.

Barcelona and Man Utd have now finally struck a deal, with Rashford presented as a player of LaLiga champions on Wednesday.

According to E-Noticies, Barcelona were so keen on Rashford that they turned down the chance to sign RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons, who, according to his former Die Roten Bullen team-mate and current Barca star Dani Olmo on the German club’s official website in February 2024, is “a really complete player” and “has an amazing dribbling technique”.

According to the report, Simons ‘wanted’ to return to Barcelona this summer, having been on the books of the European powerhouse as a young player from 2010 until 2019.

However, Barcelona manager Flick made ‘a direct request’ for Rashford, with sporting director Deco also ignoring the ‘desire’ of Simons to return to the Spanish club, even though the 22-year-old Netherlands international attacker ‘expressed his willingness’ to make the switch.

Leipzig want €70million (£60.7m, $82.4m) for Simons, which Barcelona were not willing to pay and decided to focus on a loan deal for Rashford.

Simons could now be heading to Chelsea, with BBC Sport reporting that the Blues are discussing personal terms with the 22-year-old, who played both as a left-winger and as an attacking midfielder last season and scored 11 goals and gave eight assists in 33 appearances.

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Marcus Rashford sends message to Manchester United

Rashford had a tough time at Man Utd in recent seasons, but the forward was very classy when asked about the Premier League club after being presented as a Barcelona player on Wednesday.

The forward told reporters: “The situation with United is that the club is in a period of transition, and they have been for a while.

“I don’t have anything bad to say, as it has been an important part not just of my career but my life. So, I was grateful for the opportunity.

“But like life, not everything goes as simply as you thought, and this is my next chapter, and I’m fully focused on improving myself and helping the team win trophies.

“I have nothing bad to say about United. I wish them all the best and hope they are successful in the future.”

Rashford could not impress Amorim at Man Utd, with the Portuguese manager very clear in his stance that the forward was not in his plans going forward.

On the other hand, according to Rashford, Barcelona boss Flick was very keen on working with him.

The forward said: “Everyone wanted to make it happen — Laporta, Deco, and of course Flick. We’ve been in contact for a while.

“I wanted to come in January, but it wasn’t possible and I was happy at Aston Villa. I’m also really grateful for my time there.

“But Flick is a big reason I’m here. Everyone’s shown faith in me.”

Rashford added: “I want to win big trophies. I feel Barça is a great club. The Champions League? It’s a dream of mine. Barça came very close last season — now we hope to take that final step.”

Latest Barcelona news: How Yamal feels about Rashford, Real Madrid reaction

A sensational report has revealed how Lamine Yamal feels about Barcelona signing Rashford on loan from Man Utd.

A Real Madrid-centric website has disclosed what Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has told Trent Alexander-Arnold after learning that Rashford was on his way to Barcelona.

Meanwhile, a shock report has revealed that Barcelona made contact to sign a Madrid forward before finalising a deal for Rashford.

POLL: How many goals will Marcus Rashford score on loan at Barcelona?