How Marcus Rashford ‘delayed’ Barcelona star’s contract renewal | OneFootball

A leading member of the defensive ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona saw the official renewal of his contract delayed by the arrival of Marcus Rashford at the club.

That’s according to Mundo Deportivo, who point towards Jules Koundé as the player in question.

It is of course common knowledge across Spain that defender Koundé has agreed on the terms of a long-term contract renewal at Barcelona.

The Frenchman is fresh off a stellar campaign in 2024/25, which saw him act as one of the first names on the team sheet of new boss Hansi Flick.

Talks, in turn, had long been kicked into gear over a new deal for Koundé, just rewards for his ongoing excellence.

And earlier this month, a definitive agreement was found between the parties.

An official statement regarding as much was in turn scheduled for last week, but as alluded to above, Joan Laporta and co. were forced to delay this announcement.

As per a report from MD:

‘What happened was that the signing of Marcus Rashford was finalized and, due to scheduling issues, the formal signing of Koundé, which was already in the final stages of preparations, was postponed.’

Conor Laird – GSFN