Fabrizio Romano reports concrete and strong chances that Marcus Rashford stays at Manchester United this season, with the No.14 shirt his and first minutes since December 2024 expected against AC Milan in Wroclaw on Saturday.
Marcus Rashford is set to stay at Manchester United. Fabrizio Romano's line this week, carried by Football365 and TeamTalk, is that the club see "concrete, strong, likely chances" of the forward remaining past the deadline, and that Michael Carrick is "really happy" to welcome him back. Status: REPORTED, one named reporter, and the club have not commented.
The background makes the reversal notable. Rashford spent 2025-26 on loan at Barcelona after falling out with the previous manager, Ruben Amorim. Barcelona held a purchase option reported at 30m pounds and declined it. Romano reports that offers exist from Turkey and Saudi Arabia and that Rashford is not entertaining them at this stage of his career. No European club has put a reported fee on the table.
The reintegration is already visible. He takes the No.14 shirt, per utdreport and Yahoo Sports, and the same outlets report he is poised for his first minutes in a Manchester United shirt since December 2024 in tomorrow's friendly. A year after sanctioning his exit, the club has handed him a squad number.
The fixture is confirmed by the club's own announcement: Manchester United against AC Milan at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland, on Saturday 15 August at 3.45pm UK time, the final friendly before the Premier League season opens on 21 August. ESPN carries the broadcast details.
The squad he rejoins finished third last season and returns to the Champions League, per ESPN. The midfield has taken Andrey Santos from Chelsea for 48m pounds guaranteed plus 2m in add-ons and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for 35m pounds, and it is still one signing short after the Ederson deal collapsed on a medical, per Sky Sports. The pivot target is Roma's Manu Kone, with Roma demanding north of 45m pounds per Goal, and Football365 reporting Roma would listen around 55m euros. Both fee figures are demands, not agreements. Status: REPORTED.
The window closes at 23:00 BST on Tuesday 1 September, and the league season opens at Hull City on Saturday 22 August, per the published fixture list. Somewhere between those two dates, Manchester United decide whether the returning forward is a stopgap or the plan.
Sources: Fabrizio Romano via Football365 and TeamTalk (staying chances, Carrick, refused offers, declined option); utdreport and Yahoo Sports (No.14 shirt, first minutes since December 2024); Manchester United official announcement and ESPN (the Wroclaw fixture); Sky Sports (Ederson medical collapse); Goal and Football365 (the Kone demand); canonical desk record and club statements (Santos, Tielemans); Premier League official and Sky Sports (season dates).
