Manchester United are reportedly set to propose a swap deal that would see an “incredible” Aston Villa forward trade places with Marcus Rashford at Old Trafford this summer.
Manchester United’s summer preparations continue as the club prepares for a busy transfer window, where they’ll be hoping to bring in multiple squad reinforcements.
United will be operating on a tight budget this summer. Profit and sustainability rules mean that United can only spend a finite amount without breaking the regulations and facing a points deduction.
Additionally, in an interview with Gary Neville earlier in the season, Sir Jim Ratcliffe discussed the club’s precarious financial situation and how, without INEOS’s investment, the club would have gone bankrupt by Christmas.
What Ruben Amorim’s side needs crucially is to bring in attacking players. In the Premier League this season, the club have scored 38 goals with only five sides scoring fewer.
Unfortunately for United, attacking players are typically amongst the most expensive, so the club are looking at creative ways to reduce the fees that they’ll pay for new attackers.
United plotting Rashford – Watkins swap
A report from the Daily Star has suggested that United are planning to offer Marcus Rashford plus cash to bring Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins to the club. United would hope to charge Villa £40 million for Rashford and then be able to pay a discounted price for Watkins.
Rashford joined Villa on loan in January after a public falling out with Amorim and has made a positive impression during his time there.
Watkins, 29, would become the most senior striker at the club with Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund and Chido Obi all being younger than 24 years old. The Villa striker has proven himself in the Premier League, having achieved 74 goals and 33 assists in 179 appearances.
Villa are reportedly interested in United target Eberechi Eze if they fail to secure a permanent deal for Rashford. This has further incentivised United to make the swap proposition to get a free run on the Crystal Palace forward.
Watkins was recently hailed as a player with “incredible” attitude by former Premier League player Jamie Redknapp following a stunning performance during Villa’s 4-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday evening.
Mutually beneficial end to Rashford and United’s relationship
Despite the tense relationship that Rashford has experienced with United this season, a move to Villa could be an amicable end for both parties.
Rashford has found a return to form at Villa, having registered five goal involvements in 13 games, resulting in the 27-year-old being invited back to the England set-up. This, combined with his tense relationship with Amorim, might make Rashford believe that making the move to Villa a permanent one is best for his career.
For United, the benefits of the deal are clear. They offload a player that the manager does not want and, in return, get Watkins for a discounted fee and, by extension, a better chance of signing Eze.
The only hiccup in the deal may be if Arsenal come in for Watkins. The London side have shown interest in the last few transfer windows, with the side in desperate need of a centre forward. Watkins is a childhood Arsenal fan, so if both clubs make approaches for him, it may complicate things for United.
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