Rashford's future is up in the air going into a World Cup summer

Marcus Rashford's future is up in the air going into a World Cup summer as Barcelona consider their options of keeping the on-loan Manchester United star.

Barca, who can buy Rashford for £26million under the terms of the deal, have been paying his salary in full but it will go back up to £315,000-a-week next season if United qualify for the Champions League.

The 28-year-old has contributed 12 goals and 13 assists this season to help the Catalan giants go nine-points clear of rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, and reach the Champions League quarter-finals where they were beaten by Atletico Madrid in midweek.

Barcelona would like to keep him and have made a failed bid to renegotiate the £26m fee with United who are refusing to budge on the clause which expires on June 15 – four days after the World Cup kicks off in North America.

It raises the prospect of the England forward going to the tournament with Thomas Tuchel's squad still unsure where he will be playing next season.

The two clubs are set to step up talks after the end of the season, and there is a possibility that Barca will propose another loan for Rashford next season.

United have the option of bringing him back to Old Trafford, where he spent his entire career before joining Aston Villa on loan last season, or negotiating with other clubs in the Premier League and Europe.

However, it seems unlikely that he would be able to resurrect his United career despite Ruben Amorim – the head coach who dumped him into a 'bomb squad' last summer – being sacked in January.

United are trying to drive down their wage bill by offloading other top earners like Casemiro and Jadon Sancho, and want to move Rashford's salary off the books. In keeping with the terms of the players' contracts at Old Trafford, it dropped by 25 per cent this season after the club failed to qualify for the Champions League.

However, United are on course to rejoin Europe's elite after reaching third place in the Premier League table ahead of Saturday night's trip to Chelsea, meaning that Rashford will be on maximum pay again.

Head coach Michel Carrick has helped to revive the United careers of Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire, but he was reluctant to be drawn on Rashford's future when he spoke at Carrington on Friday.

'I just think there's decisions to be made in time, really, on certain things, and obviously Marcus is in that situation,' said the United boss.

'But at this point in time, nothing's been decided. And it will be, because it has to be at a certain point, but at this stage, there's nothing to say. I think to comment either way this stage is just not the right thing to do, because there's uncertainties.

'Certainly from my perspective, whoever's here, I want to work with, make the best out of, and help them improve. So, at the moment, it's this squad of players, and there's obviously players on loan. Whatever happens with that later on will happen.

'But certainly, as a coach, and as a leader of a squad, we want to get the best out of everyone as much as we possibly can, for sure.'

Ironically, United will be in the market for a player in Rashford's position this summer after Carrick confirmed last month that a left-sided forward would be among the club's targets. The club have been linked with Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig.

Asked about it again on Friday, he added: 'Listen, there's stages to go through in terms of the summer. There's decisions to be made, of course there is, but then it's timing – obviously my situation's one thing, so it's just working through that.

'There's certainly conversations as we go, because that's natural, but in terms of what's going to happen exactly, that's not something that I've committed to recruitment wise.

'We've certainly had conversations and that's just natural. But I'm not really making a big thing of it, to be honest. I think that'll happen in time anyway.'