Marcus Rashford has expressed his desire to remain at Barcelona after playing a pivotal role in securing the La Liga title for the Catalan giants.
The 28-year-old scored a stunning free-kick as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 2-0 in El Clásico on Sunday, clinching the Spanish championship. It was Rashford’s 14th goal of the season for the club, but his future remains uncertain.
Barcelona hold an option to make his loan move from Manchester United permanent for a fee of approximately £26 million, yet the club has not confirmed whether they will activate that clause. Rashford has made his intentions clear, stating he wants to extend his stay at Camp Nou and remain part of a squad he believes is poised for sustained success.
“This Barça team is fantastic, they will win a lot in the next years, so to stay here would be special,” Rashford told the BBC. “I don’t know. I’m not a magician, but if I were, I would stay at Barcelona. We will see. Football is unpredictable, but for now I will just enjoy it, live in the moment, and reassess at the end of the season to see what is possible.”
The La Liga triumph is the first league title of Rashford’s career. His decisive goal against Real Madrid also saw him join an elite group of English players to have scored in El Clásico. He is only the sixth Englishman to achieve this feat and the second to score for Barcelona in the fixture, following Gary Lineker. Additionally, he became the first Barcelona player to convert a free-kick against Real Madrid since Lionel Messi in October 2012.