BOTH Marcus Rashford and Arsenal have seen their transfer dreams scuppered by the Clasico giants this summer.
Rashford, 28, was first to suffer when Barcelona snubbed the chance to land him in a £26million permanent deal after last season’s loan at the Nou Camp.
Marcus Rashford was overlooked by Barcelona – but Arsenal would be a suitable next step Credit: Getty
Vinicius Junior left Arsenal gutted as he opted to stay put at Real Madrid Credit: The Times
Instead the Catalans decided to splash out £69m on his England team-mate Anthony Gordon from Newcastle.
Arsenal’s own blow arrived on Thursday evening when top transfer target worth a staggering £480,000 a week.
So, with both the Gunners and Rashford left licking their wounds, is it time they came together to solve each others’ problems?
Rashford is set to .
The forward is due to after completing his mandatory three-week post-World Cup break.
has not trained with United since January 2025 after loan spells with Aston Villa and then Barca.
Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho – now on loan at Villa from Chelsea – were part of a five-man ‘bomb squad’ isolated at United’s training ground last summer.
They were ordered by then-boss Ruben Amorim to report for separate training times to the main squad.
Although Amorim was sacked in January and head coach Michael Carrick has stabilised , the imminent reunion is still awkward for all parties.
Rashford publicly declared his wish to join Barcelona permanently in May and doubled down on his desire to leave permanently during the World Cup.
But the England international’s £325,000-a-week salary – signed before Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Old Trafford involvement – has .
On the eve of the World Cup, Rashford posted a brief message on his Instagram page thanking Barcelona, Villa, England and their respective coaches.
There was no mention of United, the club he has been at since the age of seven.
United are also conspicuous by their absence on the bios of Rashford’s social media accounts.
Senior United figures were surprised by Barcelona’s decision not to buy Rashford, which has left them out of options.
United sources have repeatedly stressed they will not let Rashford leave on another season-long loan.
The academy graduate is under contract until 2028.
Rashford’s first appearance back at United could be in their .
wanted Brazilian ace Vinicius as their marquee signing to launch their first Prem title defence in 22 years.
They were led down the garden path and ended it with the sight of the Brazilian scrawling his signature on a new six-year Real contract.
But and Rashford is one of them.
Arsenal have been here before, with Raheem Sterling two years ago.
What appeared a canny deal turned out to be anything but.
Sterling’s slide has been so steep he is currently without a club and was .
Rashford could become team-mates with World Cup pal Eberechi Eze Credit: Getty
The forward has been on the books at Manchester United since he was seven Credit: Getty
Rashford is a downgrade on Vinicius – well, who isn’t? – but he ticks a lot of boxes for Arsenal: Premier League pedigree, Champions League clout, big-club nous, winners’ medals, international experience and with a point to prove.
Rashford has incentives aplenty to show he is too young for the riches of Turkey or Saudi Arabia.
He has hopes of representing England again at the Euros in 2028 as well as the 2030 World Cup.
When Rashford first steeled himself to leave United, he was insistent on playing for a Champions League club.
That would rule out Tottenham – but don’t bet against them making their own move, with boss Roberto Di Zerbi promising a “bomba” signing.
Spurs nor Rashford’s entourage have dampened speculation.
Tottenham have spent more than £200m on signings already, blowing United out of the water to buy Mateus Fernandes.
If they wanted to, Tottenham could foot the bill for Rashford’s £325,000 weekly salary.
Spurs are also lacking dynamism in attack, with James Maddison, who missed most of last season with an ACL injury and then sustained a minor problem in pre-season and Dejan Kulusevski on his way back from a patella injury he suffered in May 2025.
It suits Rashford to be linked with two of the Premier League’s biggest clubs after Barcelona deemed Gordon a better investment.
Well-placed sources have said a move to Arsenal for Rashford, however fanciful, is not a total non-starter.
Rashford has kept a low profile during his summer break but preparations have been made for his return to Manchester.
The circumstances aren’t ideal but he at least has a club.
Jadon Sancho, another winger now off the books at United, put .
Sancho is a free agent, at least.
For Rashford, he is running out of time in a transfer window that closes in less than four weeks.
Even with his steep salary, Rashford is more appealing than Sancho.
He started matches for England at the World Cup, scored in the 4-2 group stage win against Croatia and contributed to a Barcelona title triumph last season.
When push comes to shove, something can happen out of nothing in the final days of a transfer window.
Rashford’s temporary move to Villa materialised with less than 72 hours until it closed.
For now, there will be much to ponder for him and Arsenal as the new season rapidly approaches.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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