Aston Villa have confirmed the departure of forward Marcus Rashford following his loan spell from Manchester United.
Rashford joined Villa on loan for the second half of the 2024/25 season after falling out of favour at Manchester United.
The 27-year-old contributed four goals and six assists in 17 appearances for Villa across all competitions.
Unai Emery’s side had an option to make the deal permanent for £40million but have now confirmed that the option has not been triggered and Rashford will return to Manchester United.
Aston Villa statement confirms Marcus Rashford return to Manchester United
A statement released by Aston Villa on Monday thanked Rashford for his impact along with fellow January loan signings Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi. The statement confirmed that all three players have now returned to their parent clubs.
Now Manchester United are set to make a decision on Rashford’s future amid interest from elsewhere, with the 62-time England international set to leave.
The £40million option Villa turned down remains available to any club looking to purchase Rashford permanently this summer. The Athletic have reported that the player is prioritising a move abroad.
Newcastle United linked with Marcus Rashford loan
With Rashford looking to leave Man United and the club looking to sell him, Newcastle United have been linked as a potential destination for the forward.
SunSport have claimed Newcastle are ‘confident’ they can give Rashford a platform to flourish in the Champions League and Premier League this coming season.
A season-long loan has been mooted for Rashford. Although Manchester United want to offload the player permanently, they are understood to be open to a loan or swap deal if it suits them.
Selling Rashford permanently could prove difficult with the player still having three years left on his reported £325,000-a-week contract at Old Trafford. Unless Manchester United are willing to subsidise a large portion of Rashford’s wages on loan, a temporary exit is unlikely.
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Newcastle have generally steered clear of loan deals in recent seasons, given their negative impact on PSR calculations. Newcastle’s first and only loan signing completed since the takeover saw Matt Targett join from Aston Villa in January 2022.
Although Targett’s loan spell was initially a success, the left-back has struggled to make an impact since his loan move became permanent for £15million.
Although Newcastle are looking to bolster their attacking options this summer, a move for Rashford would be seen as a financial gamble for the club, who are keen to comply with PSR and pursue safer options who offer strong return on investment potential.
Newcastle United eye Joao Pedro alternative
Newcastle are looking to bolster their attacking options this summer with Callum Wilson officially out of contract.
The Magpies are well-stocked in Rashford’s preferred left-wing position with Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes though the Man United academy graduate is capable of playing across the front three.
Newcastle have recently missed out on the signing of Joao Pedro with the Brazilian set to join Chelsea from Brighton & Hove Albion.
But unlike Newcastle’s other transfer targets, Rashford brings a strong goalscoring pedigree on the international and European stage. In 426 games for Manchester United, Rashford has scored 138 goals, including a 30 goal campaign during the 2022/23 season.
He scored 11 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions for Man United and Aston Villa last season.
But even in the unlikely scenario that Rashford joined Newcastle, he would not be guaranteed regular starts at Newcastle with Alexander Isak and Gordon set to be favoured ahead of him.
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