FILE - Manchester United's Marcus Rashford smiles during the warm up before the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Newcastle at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, on Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, File)

Marcus Rashford in Barcelona to complete loan move from Manchester United

MADRID (AP) — Barcelona’s already impressive front line is about to be boosted by the signing of Marcus Rashford.

Rashford is in Barcelona to complete a move from Manchester United, a person with knowledge of the transfer told The Associated Press on Monday.

The person did not want to be named because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly.

The loan deal would give the 27-year-old England forward, once considered among Europe’s top talents, a chance to revive a career that stalled in recent years after falling out of favor at United and ending last season on loan at Aston Villa.

Spanish media said the one-year loan agreement with United would give Barcelona an option to buy Rashford for about 30 million euros ($35 million).

Barcelona had the best attack in Spanish soccer and one of the most prolific across Europe last season, but had been trying to add another piece to the frontline to go along with young star Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and veteran Robert Lewandowski.

Rashford has spent his entire career at United, scoring 138 goals in 429 appearances and winning five major trophies, including two FA Cups and the Europa League.

But he struggled to consistently live up to the hype that surrounded him when he burst onto the scene as a teenager in 2016 – only managing 20 goals or more in three seasons. In his last two seasons at United he scored a combined 15 goals and added another four in 17 games on loan at Villa.

Barcelona won the Spanish league title with 102 goals, 24 more than runner-up Real Madrid. The Catalan club also led the Champions League in goals with 43, five more than champion Paris Saint-Germain, before being eliminated by Inter Milan in the semifinals.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE – Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford gestures during the Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, on Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson, File)

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