Barcelona has just reached an agreement worth 80 million Euros on the case of winger Anthony Gordon. This is the victory of the Camp Nou team in the race to sign Gordon because Bayern Munich is also eyeing the English star.
After an unsuccessful season with Newcastle, Gordon's departure is reasonable as the price of 80 million Euros is good for both him and his club. With only finishing 12th in the Premier League last season, if Gordon's price is not finalized early, The Magpies are very likely to be pressured at the negotiating table. That is also why immediately after Barca offered 80 million Euros, Newcastle immediately nodded, even though the St. James' Park team once quoted a price of up to 100 million Euros.
At Barcelona at this time, there are two people playing in the left winger position, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford. Raphinha is the main double, but last season he was too injured. The Brazilian striker is also preparing to reach the age of 30, so his peak period is not too long. Meanwhile, in the times he was given the opportunity this season, Rashford has done quite well. The English striker has just been called up to the national team to participate in the 2026 World Cup, a worthy reward for his efforts in the past season.
However, Gordon's appearance makes Rashford's future very precarious at Camp Nou. Barca spent 80 million Euros to buy Gordon, so they cannot leave this striker on the bench as a rotation option. Meanwhile, if Raphinha returns to a good physical condition like the 2024-2025 season, Barca's left wing is considered guaranteed.
Last season was also Robert Lewandowski's last campaign with Blaugrana. Currently, Barca is very determined to bring in Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid) and Joao Pedro (Chelsea). Among these 2 stars, Alvarez is closer to Camp Nou, accompanied by a transfer fee of up to 100 million Euros. There were opinions that Hansi Flick would train Rashford to play center forward, but this striker is very difficult to adapt in real competition.
If they cannot buy Pedro, Barca can completely use Ferran Torres to rotate with Alvarez. Last season, the former Man City striker started many times to replace Lewy when the Polish striker was injured. Although not expected, Torres is not so bad that he cannot be chosen as a rotation option for this position.
In the right wing position, Lamine Yamal is of course irreplaceable. When he was playing for Man United, Rashford switched to this wing a number of times but did not leave much of an impression. Therefore, the prospect of him playing on the right wing at Barcelona is not very optimistic.
Currently, insiders in Spain have not revealed anything about Rashford's future. On the side of captain Hansi Flick, he is quite satisfied with the performance of the striker under contract with Man United. Last season Rashford played 49 matches, scored 14 goals and had 14 assists, a not bad statistic for the striker considered a "waste" of Man United and needs a destination to start over.
The deadline for Barca to announce Rashford's future is 15. 6. The price Barca is leaving open for Man United is 30 million Euros, much lower than what the "Red Devils" are proposing. However, if Man United does not accept this price, they will be forced to recall the English striker.
One of the biggest barriers when Man United has to take back Rashford is the striker's salary of 300,000 pounds/week. Currently, according to INEOS's point of view, players who sign new or extend contracts only receive a maximum of about 200,000 pounds/week. Although they will play in the Champions League next season, Man United is not "generous" in spending.
Therefore, if they do not want to take Rashford back at this time, Man United can propose that Barcelona borrow the English striker for another season to reduce pressure on the salary fund. Rashford once implicitly shared his view of breaking up with Man United, but with Michael Carrick, would he reconsider?
Currently, Man United's left wing is played by Cunha and occasionally Patrick Dorgu will be used. However, to play well in the Champions League, Man United needs a pure left-winger to rotate with Cunha like Rashford.
In the immediate future at the 2026 World Cup, Rashford and Gordon will compete for a position in Thomas Tuchel's England squad. If Rashford plays better than Gordon, he may be proactively chosen by Barca for the 2026-2027 campaign. Then, Man United will breathe easier.
