Fabrizio Romano has revealed Aston Villa’s current thoughts on signing Marcus Rashford from Manchester United for £40 million this coming summer transfer window.
Manchester United’s January transfer window saw multiple players depart Rúben Amorim’s squad after they were deemed poor fits for his 3-4-3 formation.
While a host of Academy talent left in search of first-team match experience, Amorim also chose to move Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia on for the remainder of the campaign.
Antony signed for La Liga club Real Betis on a six-month loan, while Malacia joined Dutch club PSV Eindhoven on a temporary basis, with the Eredivisie side holding an option to make the transfer permanent for around £8.3 million in the summer.
However, Rashford’s move was by far the most high-profile and least expected. After reportedly falling out with the 40-year-old, the wigner was eventually signed by Aston Villa on a six-month loan deal.
Villa have also retained the right to sign the player this summer for a £40 million fee, which would represent a significant financial boost for United should they choose to activate the clause.
How Villa feel about signing Rashford this summer
While Rashford is yet to net a goal under Villa colours, he has registered four assists in his nine appearances so far and his performances earned him his first start for England in over a year.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has issued the latest on Villa’s view about activating their £40 million buy option for the player this summer.
“My understanding is that Aston Villa are very happy with Marcus Rashford and when I say Aston Villa, it’s Monchi, the director, all the people in the club, and of course the manager, Unai Emery,” Romano explained.
“Aston Villa, they are not planning to activate anything for Marcus Rashford. End of the season when they understand about Champions League, when they understand about European football, when they understand how was the whole season, they will assess also the financial situation. Financial fair play is a crucial topic for Aston Villa.
“But at the moment what I can tell you to answer your questions on Marcus Rashford is that Villa is very happy with the player, technical point of view, very happy with the player’s attitude in these months he spent at Aston Villa, so they are very happy with the situation.
“Now they have to decide and see whether they are able to pay the £40 million or not, but this is something that will be discussed in the next months.”
United need Villa to activate the buy option
While Villa ponder over whether they want to secure the player on a permanent transfer this summer, there is little doubt United will be hoping the option is exercised.
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£40 million is a significant sum of money, but for United it represents much more, as Rashford’s status as an Academy graduate means any funds received from his sale would count as pure profit on the club’s books.
This would give them a lot of breathing room with respect to profit and sustainability rules, with the club teetering on the edge of sanctions and unable to spend too much money on new signings.
The £40 million they may receive from Rashford’s sale would allow United to somewhat relax regarding financial sanctions, and would also significantly contribute to the budget Amorim has to revamp his squad this summer.
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