Barcelona have been hoping to sign one player before the winter transfer window closes on Monday, and the one selected has been Marcus Rashford. Talks took place earlier this week with Manchester United, although ultimately, their pursuit is about to be unsuccessful.

Due to their well-documented financial woes, Barcelona could only make a move for Rashford if they managed to get a first team players off their books – this is because Man United were demanding that the forward’s entire salary be covered as part of the loan agreement. Ansu Fati was the player designated for an exit by the Catalans, but despite being told that he is not counted on by Hansi Flick, he has opted to stay.

🚨🟣🔵 Marcus Rashford to Aston Villa, here we go!

Agreement in place on loan deal with over 70% salary covered by Villa.

Buy option clause worth £40m also included in contract with potential three year and half deal to follow.

Medical booked today. pic.twitter.com/3z5EogHyPs

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 2, 2025

As such, Barcelona have not been able to move forward with their efforts, and now Rashford is set to stay in the Premier League – but not with Man United. Aston Villa registered their interest a few days ago, and it has now been reported by Fabrizio Romano that an agreement has been reached.

Interesting, it’s noted that Aston Villa will not pay the entirety of Rashford’s salary, but only 70% – although this would still have been too much for Barcelona. Man United have also included a buy option in the agreement, worth a reported £40m.

Barcelona, and Flick in particular, had been very interested in bringing Rashford to the club for the second half of the season, but it is not to be. It means that, barring any late movement, no new additions will be made to the first team squad, and this could be a disadvantage in the Catalan giants’ pursuit of winning La Liga and/or the Champions League come the end of May. For now, it remains to be seen whether that makes a big impact or not.