Marcus Rashford to join Barcelona on loan

Manchester United centurion Marcus Rashford took one more step towards a final move away from his boyhood club this weekend, traveling to Barcelona to complete a loan move to the Catalan giants. The move includes coverage of Rashford’s wages and an option to make the arrangement permanent next summer.

The news was widely reported this weekend, with The Athletic’s transfer news guru David Ornstein breaking the story on Saturday.

The move was reportedly approved by Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, who was looking for a left-wing/wide forward option to help boost an attacking group that scored 102 goals in La Liga last season as the club won its 28th top-flight title. He was being considered along with Athletic Club winger Nico Williams and Liverpool forward Luis Diaz, but negotiations never progressed very far with the other options.

Rashford was first linked to Barcelona in January as United looked to move away from the player after months of rumors, Ruben Amorim publicly criticizing him, and Rashford admitting a willingness to leave on the record in an interview with Henry Winter. He leaves United after 10 seasons in the senior team, scoring 138 goals in 426 appearances.

Rashford is set to become the first Englishman since Gary Lineker to play for Barcelona.