With Marcus Rashford’s relationship with Man United coming to a close, and there being no guarantee of Aston Villa triggering their buy option, a move to a continental giant “appeals” to the English forward.
In January, Marcus Rashford’s time at Manchester United came to a close, with the 27-year-old making the switch to Aston Villa on loan with a £40 million option to buy.
The relationship between Rashford and Ruben Amorim soured, and as a result, Rashford was frozen out of the squad, as Amorim believed he wasn’t fully committed to the cause.
United reportedly has no intention of bringing Rashford back into the fold at Old Trafford if a permanent move to Birmingham fails to happen, and they will look to move him this summer.
With Rashford unlikely to don the red shirt at Old Trafford again, regardless of his future at Villa Park, a continental move could be very appealing if Aston Villa don’t trigger their buy option.
Villa’s current stance on Rashford transfer
Rashford’s form has taken a noticeable upturn since swapping Manchester for the West Midlands, bagging four assists, and in his tenth appearance, scored a brace against Preston North End to send Aston Villa to an FA Cup semi-final.
A report from TEAMtalk states that while Villa are becoming more interested in making Rashford’s move permanent, they are waiting until the summer to make their final decision.
It is said that Rashford has also informed United that he intends to depart Old Trafford permanently this summer, even if his time at Villa is cut short at the end of the season.
It’s claimed that Aston Villa will wait to see which European competition – if any – they will feature in next season before activating the £40m move.
This has also been reported by Fabrizio Romano recently too, who stated that although Villa are yet to make a decision, they are very happy with Rashford’s development and improvement so far.
Rashford eyeing possible Barcelona move
European giants Barcelona have retained their interest in Rashford, with a potential move to Spain being one that “appeals” to the forward.
The Catalan club have shown some interest in Rashford for a number of windows now, and the summer window could finally be the time when they sign him.
Barcelona’s financial struggles, however, could play a huge factor, but ironically, it could be his boyhood club, United who help Barcelona sanction the move.
Francisco Trincao has recently emerged as a target as part of Amorim’s major summer rebuild.
The Portuguese winger, who Barcelona signed in 2020, was sold to Sporting in 2023, with a 50% sell on clause.
It’s reported that Sporting value the winger at £30 million, meaning Barcelona would receive a £15 million fee
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