Rashford to complete loan move to Barcelona

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is in Spain to complete a season-long loan move to Barcelona

The 27-year-old arrived in Catalonia on Sunday night after getting permission from United to complete the formalities of a move to Barcelona.

Images of Rashford arriving in Barcelona on a private jet quickly circulated on social media.

Talks between the Spanish giants and United have progressed swiftly in the last week, with a deal being agreed in principle over the weekend.

United have now given permission for Rashford to seal the move, which is an initial 12-month loan with an option to buy.

Joining Barcelona has been Rashford's preferred option since he declared in December that he was ready for a new challenge after being dropped by United head coach Ruben Amorim.

The move will be Rashford's second consecutive loan spell after a six-month stint with Aston Villa in the second half of last season.

The forward is expected to complete a medical with the La Liga club early this week, with the aim of being able to join Barcelona's pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea on Thursday.

Should Rashford join the tour, he could come up against former United team-mate Jesse Lingard.

Lingard, 32, is in his second season with K League side FC Seoul, who face Barcelona on 31 July.

Another of Rashford's former team-mates, Monaco midfielder Paul Pogba, told YouTuber IShowSpeed: "I'm happy for him because they (United) took his number.