Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is pushing for the club to seal a deal for yet another Manchester United star alongside Jadon Sancho this summer, according to Sports Boom.
The Villans are battling to secure a return to Champions League football and currently sit fourth in the Premier League, sitting six points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea, having recovered from a recent poor spell of form.
The club are keen to ensure that they keep their squad strong enough to continue competing at a high level next season, and while Sancho is being targeted for a return to the club on a free transfer following a successful loan this season, the manager is also pushing for another forward addition.
Emery Wants Aston Villa to Sign Rashford
Barcelona's Marcus Rashford during the warm up
Marcus Rashford spent the second half of last season on loan at Villa Park after falling out with Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford, and made a great impression before departing after they missed out on Champions League football.
This season, the England forward has been at Barcelona on loan and has enjoyed a fine campaign, being labelled as 'unbelievable' by coach Hansi Flick while registering ten goals and nine assists in all competitions, despite often finding himself behind Lamine Yamal and Raphinha in the pecking order.
Barcelona have been keen to make the loan permanent, and they hold an option worth £26m to do that, with the player keen to stay out of England's tabloid-style headlines out in Spain. However, their financial situation has seen the club hold talks about a second loan deal, something Man Utd are adamant they won't sanction.
That has opened the door for Villa to potentially swoop in, with Emery confident that he could convince the 28-year-old to make a return to the Midlands.
Aston Villa Can't Waste Time on Rashford Deal
FC Barcelona's Marcus Rashford holds a football
While the return of Rashford would be a big statement deal and one that everyone would love to see happen, Villa can't afford to waste time if it's unlikely to happen.
The forward has made it clear he wants to stay at Barcelona, and they want to keep him. Putting other deals on the back-burner for a situation like that means Villa will likely end up empty-handed and rushing, like they did last summer.
GIVEMESPORT asked ChatGPT how likely a move for Rashford to return to Villa this summer was, and this was its response:
Marcus Rashford has prioritised FC Barcelona historically and even pushed for that move previously
Barcelona still hold a buy option and have considered activating it
Despite recent doubts over form/minutes, he wants to stay
Aston Villa interest exists but is secondary and opportunistic
Conclusion: 15% - Villa return only likely if Barcelona pull out completely.
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