Manchester United set a £40 million valuation on striker Marcus Rashford, but the club has ruled out a move to rivals Liverpool or Manchester City after Barcelona declined to activate the €30 million option on his season‑long deal. Rashford, 28, is in the United States preparing for England’s World Cup opener in Dallas on Wednesday today.

Barcelona’s refusal follows a £69.3 million ($93 million) bid for Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon, which dented the club’s budget for a permanent Rashford deal. The forward finished last season with 14 goals and 14 assists in 49 appearances, helping Hansi Flick’s side lift La Liga and cementing his value in the market for future season in Europe this summer.

With two years remaining on a £350,000‑a‑week contract, Rashford has voiced a preference to stay at Old Trafford rather than join Liverpool or City. United are open to a domestic move, but the £40 million trigger would bar any transfer to the two rivals, keeping the striker’s options limited until his contract expires in the season.

Rashford’s return to United after the World Cup will come after an extended break, but his future contract negotiations could reshape the club’s forward line. Fans will watch closely as United weigh a possible sale against keeping a proven goal‑scoring asset, while rivals eye any chance to snatch a player who has never crossed the Mancunian divide in decades today.