Barcelona and Chelsea’s Teen Chase Won’t Settle Rashford’s Future

Barcelona and Chelsea are chasing the same 17-year-old this month. Dinamo Zagreb winger Cardoso Varela comes with a price tag of around €5 million (about $5.8 million), according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, a fraction of what either club just spent on the senior wingers already in their squads. The chase has been framed as the closing chapter of Marcus Rashford’s Barcelona career.

That framing skips a few inconvenient weeks of actual news. Barcelona’s buy option on Rashford lapsed back in June, yet the 28-year-old says he will not decide anything until England’s World Cup run ends, and Bayern Munich is reportedly circling with an offer bigger than the one Barcelona let expire.

Barcelona and Chelsea Chase the Same Teenager

Deco, Barcelona’s sporting director, has already met Varela and his agent, Andy Bara, in Croatia to discuss a future switch to La Liga, according to multiple reports. Bara also represents Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo, a relationship reporters say has helped keep talks warm.

Chelsea is running a parallel play. Under the BlueCo ownership group’s youth-first recruitment model, the west London club is monitoring Varela’s progress at Dinamo Zagreb and could rival Barcelona’s bid, per the same Mundo Deportivo report.

Both clubs point to recent graduates as proof the model works.

• Lamine Yamal, Barcelona’s teenage winger who broke into the first team and never left
• Pau Cubarsí, a La Masia defender promoted straight into Hansi Flick’s back line
• Estêvão, the young Brazilian winger Chelsea signed through BlueCo’s scouting network
• Cole Palmer, who arrived from Manchester City’s pipeline and became Chelsea’s talisman

A fee near €5 million fits a transfer strategy both clubs lean on constantly: sign cheap, develop in-house, worry about the big fees elsewhere.

Who Is Cardoso Varela?

Cardoso Varela is a 17-year-old Portuguese winger born in Luanda, Angola, who rose through FC Porto’s academy before an unconventional move to Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb in 2025. He plays left wing despite favoring his right foot, stands 177 centimeters tall, and has built a reputation on explosive pace and end product well beyond his age.

He has represented Portugal at Under-17 level, collecting 22 caps and 3 goals. Porto’s academy shaped him for years before his contract there expired in 2024, clearing the path to Croatia.

Since arriving at Maksimir, Varela has made nine appearances in Croatia’s top flight this season, according to Transfermarkt’s database, while his market value sits at just €1 million, a number every suitor considers a bargain against his ceiling.

After the numbers comes the projection: Barcelona see him as a long-term successor to Raphinha on the flank, while Chelsea view him as another piece in a scouting pipeline that already runs through Brazil and Portugal.

The Buy Option That Already Expired

Barcelona signed Rashford on a season-long loan from Manchester United last summer, with a purchase option worth €30 million written into the deal. He delivered: 14 goals and 14 assists in 49 appearances under Hansi Flick, form that helped force his way back into England’s squad.

None of it was enough. Barcelona let the option expire on June 15, and Fabrizio Romano confirmed the clause had lapsed, writing on X that Rashford “formally returns to Manchester United as €30m buy option clause for Barcelona has now expired.”

That decision landed more than three weeks before Chelsea and Barcelona’s interest in Varela made fresh headlines. A five million euro teenager did not seal Rashford’s fate. The accounting already had.

Gordon’s Arrival Changed Barcelona’s Math

Barcelona had already committed serious money to the left flank before the Rashford decision came down to the wire. The club agreed a fee near €70 million with Newcastle United for winger Anthony Gordon in late May, sources told ESPN, with the total potentially climbing past €80 million once add-ons are included.

Barcelona had watched Gordon up close already. Newcastle lost 8-3 on aggregate in this season’s Champions League round of 16 against the Catalans.

The gap in cost looks irrational until amortization enters the picture, the accounting method that spreads a transfer fee across the length of a contract. Gordon signed for five years at 25. Rashford, three years older with less resale runway, would have weighed heavier on Barcelona’s books per season even with the smaller sticker price. Spanish outlets reported that math as the real obstacle, not a lack of funds.

Rashford Isn’t Ready to Move On

I live in the moment. I was very clear with everyone involved before the World Cup.

Rashford told Spanish outlet SPORT, adding that his club future would stay parked until England’s tournament run ends.

Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, now the club’s permanent manager after Ruben Amorim’s exit, has not ruled out reintegrating Rashford into the squad. Teammate Harry Maguire said the dressing room would welcome him back if he wants to stay.

Bayern Munich, still hunting a winger after missing out on Gordon, is reportedly ready to pay €40 million (about £34.5 million) for Rashford, roughly £8.5 million more than United would have collected had Barcelona triggered its own option.

• Bayern Munich, prepared to beat United’s asking price and pair Rashford with England teammate Harry Kane
• Paris Saint-Germain, linked in the background but yet to make a concrete move
• Aston Villa and Newcastle United, floated as Premier League options if Rashford stays in England
• Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, both previously named as possible destinations

What Happens After the World Cup

Both sagas now run on the same clock. Rashford will not revisit his future until England’s tournament ends, and Barcelona’s hierarchy has given itself roughly the same window to decide whether a renegotiated fee or another loan makes sense.

Varela, meanwhile, keeps playing. Dinamo Zagreb open their Champions League qualifying campaign on July 21 against Swiss side FC Thun, with the teenager expected to feature before any transfer paperwork moves.

Whoever signs Varela will pay a fraction of the €30 million Barcelona refused to spend on a winger who had already proven himself in La Liga.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much will Cardoso Varela cost Barcelona or Chelsea?

Reports put the guaranteed fee at around €5 million, structured with as much as €20 million in performance add-ons that could push the deal’s total value closer to €25 million. That structure explains why some outlets have cited wildly different numbers for what looks like the same transfer.

Is Marcus Rashford definitely leaving Barcelona?

No. Barcelona’s €30 million option lapsed in June, but nothing is settled. Bayern Munich has reportedly readied a €40 million bid, Paris Saint-Germain has been linked without a concrete offer, and Rashford himself has said the whole decision waits until after the World Cup.

Why did Barcelona sign Anthony Gordon instead of buying Rashford?

Age and contract length drove the call more than talent. Gordon, 25, signed a five-year deal that spreads his fee thinly across the books, while Rashford, 28, would have amortized at a steeper annual cost despite his lower price. Barcelona’s LaLiga-imposed spending cap, raised to €433 million this year, still left the club choosing where to spend rather than whether it could.

What position does Cardoso Varela play and how good is he?

Varela plays left wing despite being right-footed, wears the number 23 shirt at Dinamo Zagreb, and is known for explosive pace and end product that has already earned him first-team minutes at 17. He has 22 caps and 3 goals for Portugal’s Under-17 side.