Barcelona president Joan Laporta was ‘stunned’ by Manchester United’s low asking price for Marcus Rashford and believes he has struck a ‘bargain deal’, according to reports.
Rashford became the first men’s England international to sign for Barcelona since Gary Lineker when he joined the La Liga giants on an initial 12-month loan deal.
Barcelona agreed to cover Rashford’s salary in full and have the opinion of signing him on a permanent basis next summer for around £26m.
Rashford last played for Manchester United in December 2024 after being axed by Ruben Amorim and sent on loan to Aston Villa in the second-half of the 2024-25 campaign.
The 27-year-old rejected a permanent move to Villa Park as he was desperate to force through a dream switch to Barcelona.
Get personalised updates on Manchester United every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you.
Rashford has enjoyed a bright start to his spell at the Nou Camp, scoring two goals and making four assists in nine appearances in all competitions.
Even before Rashford started to impress at Barca, club president Laporta was confident he has struck a ‘bargain deal’ with Manchester United and was ‘stunned’ by his relatively low fee.
A Barcelona source told the Daily Mirror: ‘At the top of his game, Marcus Rashford is one of the best players in Europe.
‘Barca have got themselves a genuine bargain. Marcus should be worth more than £60m in the current market.’
Rashford was named in Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad for the upcoming games against Wales and Latvia.
Discussing Rashford’s form since his move to Spain, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said: ‘Everyone could see it in the last games.
‘In Newcastle [scoring two goals] he gained a lot of confidence. It’s not always easy, he came from another league. But he is adapting well.’
Rashford insisted he felt like he was ‘at home’ after linking up with Barcelona, telling the club’s official website: ‘I’m very excited.
‘It’s a club where people’s dreams come true, they win big prizes. What the club stands for means a lot for me.
‘I feel like I’m at home and a big factor in my choice to come here is because it is a family place and a good place for good players to showcase their skills.
‘Another factor is because the conversations I had with [Hansi Flick] were positive. What he did last season was terrific.
‘To lead such a young team to a very successful season and come back to pre-season and still want to do more, it shows me everything I thought I knew about the club and it’s everything I wished.’
Rashford was not the only member of Amorim’s Manchester United ‘bomb squad’ to move on over the summer.
Alejandro Garnacho joined Premier League rivals Chelsea in a deal worth £40m, £82m signing Antony returned to Real Betis and Jadon Sancho was loaned out to Aston Villa.
The Red Devils have endured a miserable start to the new season but at least picked up a crucial win over Sunderland on Saturday in their final game before the international break.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.