Barcelona
Jan Virgili: Mallorca Move, Barça Feelings and a Route Back to Camp Nou
Jan Virgili says he would struggle to refuse Barcelona if the club reopened the door to him. indeed.
Jan Virgili has emerged as a bright young winger for Mallorca after leaving Barcelona last summer, and he has made clear that a return to his boyhood club would be difficult to turn down.
“If Deco called, it would be hard saying no,” Virgili said when asked how he would respond to Barça’s sporting director. He added that wearing the Blaugrana shirt remains a long-term ambition. “Yes, of course,” Virgili said. “That was my dream and is my dream and I think it will always be my dream. I’ve been a Barça fan all my life and in the end, if one day the opportunity arrives, that Barça’s doors open up to me again, in the first team, I’d be delighted obviously.”
Virgili spent a year at La Masia and was part of the U-19 side that completed a treble, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Youth League. His performances carried him into regular appearances for Barça Atlètic in the opening months of 2025, but the B side’s relegation changed his prospects.
He trained with the first team under Hansi Flick at the start of preseason and had hoped to be included on the Asian tour. “When I started the preseason with the first team, I had the hope of going on the [Asian] tour,” he said. “At least to try to impress or having the chance to play with the first team, but it wasn’t to be.” With Mallorca’s offer arriving in the summer, Virgili opted for a new path. “These are things that happen and in the end, Mallorca’s offer arrived and I gambled for a change of path.
“Barça Atlètic got relegated and, even if being at Barça is a privilege, I think staying at [Barça B], more so at a lower division, Mallorca was a train I couldn’t let pass by. I always say you have to search for the path you want and if it’s outside of where you want it to be, you must follow the chosen path.”
Mallorca signed Virgili for $4 million (€3.5 million) last summer, with Barcelona retaining 50% of his rights and a right to match any future offer. The retained interest and matching right provide a clear mechanism that could facilitate a future return.
Separately, Barcelona and Marcus Rashford reportedly share a mutual desire to extend his loan beyond the initial year, but Manchester United are insisting on Barcelona triggering the $35 million (£26 million) buy-option. Joan Laporta has suggested an alternative is unlikely this summer, complicating any deal.
Barcelona
Rashford’s pay-cut offer still leaves Barcelona carrying a costly €30m option
Rashford’s pay cut would lower Barcelona’s annual costs, but the €30m option still strains the club.
Marcus Rashford is on loan at Barcelona as the club considers whether to make his move permanent from Manchester United. Barcelona hold an exclusive option-to-buy set at €30 million, but the club has hesitated. Sporting satisfaction has met financial concern, and Barcelona have explored renegotiating the price or a second loan. United have so far refused.
Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona have covered Rashford’s salary this season and that the player had already agreed a three-year contract some months ago. That deal reflected an earlier willingness to sacrifice as much as 40% of his contracted Manchester United salary, estimated at the equivalent of around $22.5 million annually. The reduced figure discussed would be roughly $13.5 million per year.
Rashford’s on-field numbers are significant: 14 goals and as many assists this season. He remains secondary to Lamine Yamal and Raphinha and has started only 25 of his 48 appearances. Those details inform Barcelona’s assessment of him as a contributor rather than a guaranteed regular starter.
Even with a lower salary, Barcelona face a financial calculation. Spreading the transfer fee and salary over a three-year contract, known as amortization, would cost the club about $25 million each season. To reduce that annual burden, Rashford has proposed a five-year deal that would not increase the overall cost to the club. Instead of collecting $40.5 million in salary over three seasons, the same total would be spread across five, cutting his annual pay by about 40% to a little over $8 million and lowering amortization from roughly $25 million to $15 million per season.
Barcelona must now judge whether a player who will turn 29 in October can offer a reliable return across a longer contract and whether any resale value remains. Under the proposed five-year term, Rashford would be four months shy of his 34th birthday when the hypothetical deal ends in 2031.
Barcelona
Who Has Won the Most League Titles in Europe’s Big Five?
Five players have reached 13 league titles across Europe’s top five leagues; Lewandowski joined them
Winning a title in one of Europe’s top five leagues is rare. Even rarer is the company of players who have accumulated double-digit league winners’ medals across the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga.
Only five players in European history have reached a total of 13 league titles, with Robert Lewandowski the latest to join that group. The Polish striker won La Liga for a third time with Barcelona in 2025–26, adding to his eight Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and two more Meisterschalen with Borussia Dortmund.
Two former Bayern teammates, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller, complete the group who each have 13 league crowns. Müller and Neuer won all 13 of their league titles with the Bavarian giants. Kingsley Coman also sits on 13: he collected nine Bundesliga crowns with Bayern, alongside two Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain and two Serie A triumphs with Juventus. Ryan Giggs provides English representation in the 13-title list, having won 13 Premier League titles during his remarkable 21-year spell with Manchester United.
Three players have reached 12 league titles. Lionel Messi won 10 La Liga titles with Barcelona before adding two Ligue 1 crowns with PSG. Paco Gento is listed on 12 titles for Real Madrid. David Alaba lifted 10 Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich before adding two La Liga triumphs with Real Madrid.
A further four players have won 11 league titles across Europe’s top tiers. Those names include Thiago Alcântara (Barcelona, Bayern Munich), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus, PSG), Arjen Robben (Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich) and Paul Scholes.
This tally highlights how a small group of players have combined longevity and success at dominant clubs to assemble exceptional league records across Europe’s five leading competitions.
Barcelona
If Barcelona Refuse Rashford’s Buy Clause: How the Club Could Respond
Barcelona must decide on Rashford’s €30m buy clause; alternatives include Gordon and Abde Ezzalouli.
Barcelona face a clear crossroads over Marcus Rashford’s loan. The Catalans can trigger the prearranged buy option by paying $35.1 million (€30 million, £26 million), but reports indicate they remain reluctant to do so. An update from Fabrizio Romano reveals that talks between Manchester United and Barcelona are ongoing, with United standing firm that they “want the money” now and that it must be the “full clause.”
The Athletic notes Barcelona will make a final decision “sooner rather than later.” The situation has hardened into a political standoff, with Spanish media coverage suggesting interest in keeping Rashford has “cooled.” Barcelona are reportedly exploring whether fresh terms might be found in a second loan or even allowing the original loan to expire so the option-to-buy lapses, a tactic aimed at pressuring United if no other suitors emerge.
If Barcelona opt not to pay the clause, they will need forward options. Even if Ferran Torres assumes a No. 9 role once Robert Lewandowski departs, the squad will still require versatile cover. Rashford has largely filled that role this season, acting as the primary alternative to Raphinha or Lamine Yamal when those players were unavailable due to injury.
Executives believe signing a younger forward for a higher fee could have a similar financial effect to making Rashford permanent, because a lower salary might offset a larger transfer fee. Barcelona have been covering Rashford’s wages during the loan, still in the region of $16.4 million after a cut. Linked options include Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon, 25, who reportedly earns around half as much as Rashford but for whom Newcastle could demand $101 million. Real Betis’ Abde Ezzalouli, formerly of La Masia, would represent a cheaper alternative on both fee and wages.
With Manchester United insisting on full payment and Barcelona weighing their financial and sporting priorities, the coming days should determine whether Rashford remains at the club or the search for replacements accelerates.
