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El Clasico clinches title
Marcus Rashford scored a stunning free-kick as Hansi Flick’s Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-0 at the Camp Nou to seal their 29th La Liga crown with three games still left to play.
“Rashford a retrouvé des couleurs sous Hansi Flick avec des buts décisifs”
The England forward, on loan from Manchester United, has 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions this season, and he was described as having opened the scoring in El Clasico before Ferran Torres added a second.
Rashford, who is 28, said after the match that “I don’t know. I am not a magician, but if I was, I would stay. We will see,” when asked about his immediate future.
The title win also left Barcelona targeting a 100-point barrier, with the Independent saying the win lifted them 14 points clear with just three games to play and they could yet finish with 100 points.
In the same victory, Ferran Torres scored after 18 minutes, while Jude Bellingham put the ball in the net for Real in the second half but it was ruled out for offside, according to The Independent.
Rashford’s quotes, shifting tone
Rashford’s comments on his future carried a recurring theme of uncertainty, with the BBC Sport framing him as saying “Si j'étais magicien, je voudrais rester au Barça” in the zone mixte after the title celebrations.
In a separate interview with ESPN, the Sun reported Rashford added: “This is the perfect way I want it to end,” as he said he was “very happy” and wanted to “enjoy today.”
The Sun also said Rashford’s representatives met with Deco, Barcelona’s sporting director, to discuss his future, while the 90min piece said Barcelona may not be able to align the sum Manchester United expects.
The Independent reported Rashford declined to commit his future and reiterated that he would “live in the moment” and reassess “at the end of the season,” after scoring the early free-kick in the 2-0 win.
Meanwhile, Metro.co.uk said Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes posted on Instagram “Congratulations my brother. You deserve that,” after Rashford’s La Liga success at Barcelona.
Loan clause and next moves
Barcelona’s ability to keep Rashford is tied to a purchase option in his loan, with the 90min report saying the deal includes an option of 30 millions d'euros and the Sun putting it at a £26million option to buy.
““I am not a magician, but if I was, I would stay. So we’ll see.””
The London Evening Standard said the loan includes an option to buy worth €30million (£26m), but noted it is not yet clear whether Barcelona can trigger the clause because of their financial shape, while also quoting Rashford: “I don’t know,” and “I am not a magician, but if I was, I would stay.”
SPORTbible added that United have “no intention to reintegrate the academy graduate back into their first-team squad,” and said the club is confident it can find a suitor in the summer transfer window even if Barcelona do not trigger their option.
Goal reported that Rashford’s future remains a significant talking point as his season-long loan nears expiry, and it quoted Carrick saying: “But at this point in time, nothing’s been decided.”
With Barcelona targeting the next step after winning the league, the OneFootball report said the option to sign him permanently is “around £28 million” when his loan deal ends this summer, though it remains unclear whether they will trigger the clause.
