Rashford moves closer to Barcelona after passing medical
Both Spanish and British media reported that the 27-year-old was at Barcelona's training facilities for medical tests, with the move expected to be finalized within hours and his official presentation scheduled for Wednesday.
Rashford will join Barcelona on an initial season-long loan, with the club holding an option to make the transfer permanent for around 35 million euros (41 million U.S. dollars) at the end of the 2025-26 season.
This marks Rashford's second consecutive loan spell after spending the second half of last season at Aston Villa, where he scored four goals in 17 appearances across all competitions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Liverpool beaten 4-2 by AC Milan in Hong Kong pre-season friendly
HONG KONG: Former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored as Premier League champions Liverpool were beaten 4-2 by AC Milan today in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong. Liverpool, with record signing Florian Wirtz making his first start, dominated possession under the closed roof at Kai Tak Stadium but a shaky defence was punished for all four Milan goals. Rafael Leao opened the scoring for the Italian side on 10 minutes with Dominik Szoboszlai's superb strike equalising 16 minutes later to make it 1-1 at half-time But Loftus-Cheek, six minutes after the break, and two goals from substitute Noah Okafor, either side of Cody Gakpo's late header, gave AC Milan the victory. Liverpool's Hong Kong fans vastly outnumbered those supporting AC Milan in the 49,704 sellout crowd. They paid a heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota, who passed away earlier this month in a car crash. Flowers were laid by Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish in front of fans, who responded by holding up a mosaic spelling out "DJ20" in honour of Jota's number 20 shirt, which has been retired by the club. Leao, too, remembered his fellow Portuguese player Jota as he offered a silent prayer and formed the number 20 with his fingers after scoring the opener. Wirtz played 45 minutes and looked comfortable directing operations, showing hints of why Bayer Leverkusen were paid a reported British transfer record US$150 million (RM633 million) for the German playmaker. Other new Liverpool signings left-back Milos Kerkez and right-back Jeremie Frimpong both came on as substitutes at half-time. But Striker Hugo Ekitike, who was signed from Entracht Frankfurt for a reported US$92 million, was not ready to take part, having only flown in to join his new teammates two days earlier. Liverpool started without a recognised central striker as Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz, who have both been linked to move away from Anfield, were left out of the matchday squad. Liverpool will now fly to Japan to face Yokohama F-Marinos on Wednesday.
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Xavi application for India coaching job was a hoax, AIFF says
Soccer Football - LaLiga - FC Barcelona Training - Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, Barcelona, Spain - November 3, 2023 Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez with players during training REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo (Reuters) -The All India Football Federation (AIFF) confirmed on Saturday that a job application attributed to former Barcelona manager and Spain midfielder Xavi Hernandez for the India head coaching role was a hoax. The AIFF's national team director told The Times of India on Thursday that Xavi's name was on the list of applicants. The report also quoted an AIFF technical committee member saying the his candidacy was deemed too expensive to pursue. "The AIFF received an email furnishing the applications from Spanish coaches Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez. The authenticity of their applications could not be confirmed, and it has since emerged that the email applications were not genuine," the AIFF said in a statement. It had not been previously reported that the AIFF had also received an application purporting to be from Manchester City manager Guardiola. The AIFF Technical Committee said it had reviewed 170 applications for the Indian men's head coach role, narrowing the list to 10 before short-listing three candidates. The AIFF sacked former India manger Igor Stimac in June last year before appointing Spaniard Manolo Marquez, who left the job this month and returned to his role as coach of Indian Super League team FC Goa. (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Women's Euros reach new peaks in Switzerland as final awaits
Soccer Football - UEFA Women's Euro 2025 - Semi Final - England v Italy - Stade de Geneve, Lancy, Switzerland - July 22, 2025 England's Ella Toone, England's Alessia Russo, England's Georgia Stanway, England's Grace Clinton, England's Lotte Wubben-Moy, England's Alex Greenwood, England's Leah Williamson and England's Esme Morgan celebrate after the match REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw OBERENTFELDEN, Switzerland (Reuters) -The Women's Euros reach their climax with the final between holders England and Spain on Sunday, but before a ball is even kicked at the St. Jakob-Park stadium, records have been smashed at what has proved to be the most successful edition of the tournament. Before their quarter-final defeat by Spain, Swiss fans held up a banner saying "Time to move mountains", but by then the hosts already had, making the knockout stage for the first time as a fever for women's football swept the country -- and the continent. "I hope it was just a very, very important step to show Switzerland that women can play football really well -- not just Switzerland, but all the other teams as well," Swiss captain Lia Waelti said after the hosts exited the tournament. Fans at games in Switzerland have shattered attendance records, including the highest overall one ever, with the final still to be played. A record 623,088 fans attended games through the end of the semi-finals, obliterating the previous total of 574,875 fans who watched the entire England 2022 tournament. England's dramatic semi-final win over Italy in extra time gave British broadcaster ITV its biggest audience of the year with 10.2 million linear viewers, and another 17.2 million following the game on streaming platform ITV X. Fox Sports in the United States also reported a 176% increase in the number watching the semi-finals compared to 2022 as the tournament caught the imagination on the other side of the Atlantic. It has not all, however, been plain sailing. The opening games were overshadowed by soaring temperatures that led to worries about player welfare and UEFA suspending rules around water bottles for fans. JOYOUS CELEBRATION There was also the death of Portugal international Diogo Jota and his brother in a car accident, which cast a pall over Portugal's opening game against Spain. In the end, the game itself honoured his memory by turning into a joyous celebration of Portuguese football, despite the team's defeat. The 16 teams in the group stage provided plenty of excitement, with Switzerland's late equaliser against Finland to snatch second place in their final Group A game stealing the plaudits as the most dramatic moment. Fans did not have long to wait for the next twist in the tale, as England came back from two goals down to beat Sweden after a chaotic penalty shootout in their quarter-final. Online critics hailed that shootout, with only five successful efforts out of 14, as one of the worst ever, ignoring Sweden keeper Jennifer Falk's exceptional performance in which she made four saves from English spot-kicks, yet still ended up on the losing side. England's Michelle Agyemang is the break-out star of the tournament, netting two vital equalisers as they flirted with disaster in the knockout stage and playing a major role in getting them to the final. Through it all, the Spaniards have ticked like a metronome, starting games slowly before gradually finding the solution to whatever opposition was in front of them and winning all five of their matches. Another win for the Spaniards against England will give them the European crown to add to their world and Nations League victories, confirming them as the dominant team. However, England's never-say-die mentality stands between them and that goal. No matter how that game turns out, the tournament has successfully sustained the momentum created at Euro 2022, and the trajectory for the women's game continues to move sharply upwards. (Reporting by Philip O'Connor, editing by Ed Osmond)
