Barcelona confirm Marcus Rashford loan from Manchester United with buy option

Barcelona have signed Marcus Rashford on a season’s loan from Manchester United with an option to buy. The forward joins after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim at his boyhood club.

“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 in an official 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.”

Earlier, in comments to the club’s own media, he said: “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.”

Rashford was one of five United players made to train away from Amorim’s squad this summer. The England international, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, has been training at a gym in Salford and at United’s Carrington base, although only after first-team players have left.

The 27-year-old has three years remaining on a £325,000-a-week contract at Old Trafford. Barcelona said he would become the 10th man to play for them and United, after Mark Hughes, Laurent Blanc, Henrik Larsson, Jordi Cruyff, Gerard Piqué, Víctor Valdés, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexis Sánchez and Memphis Depay.

“The player has signed his contract as a Barça player this afternoon in at a private meeting in the presence of the FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, the director of the football area and other board members,” Barcelona said in a statement.

“I was clear on my preference from the beginning,” Rashford said. “It didn’t work out in January so I went to Aston Villa and enjoyed a good period there. 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 has spent 20 years at United, scoring 138 goals in 426 appearances for the club, but has not featured since being dropped by Amorim for the Manchester derby last December. He said later that month that he was ready for a new challenge.

“The situation with United is the club is in a period of change and they have been for a while,” Rashford added. “I don’t have anything bad to say about Manchester United as it has been an important part not only in my career but my life. I was grateful for the opportunity to play for them. But football is like life – not everything goes as simply as you thought and this is my next chapter. I’m fully focused on this and trying to improve myself and helping the team win trophies.”

“Everyone at Manchester United wishes Marcus good luck for the season,” United said in a statement.