Fabrizio Romano has discussed the possibility of Marcus Rashford swapping Manchester United for Aston Villa permanently following his great performance against Preston North End on Sunday.
Rashford enjoyed a good start to his Aston Villa career, registering four assists in his first nine appearances across all competitions. The forward’s first two goals in a Villa shirt came during the 3-0 win over Preston in the FA Cup quarter-final.
Rashford, selected at centre-forward by Unai Emery, gave his side the lead in the 58th minute. A lovely Villa move saw Lucas Digne put the ball across for Rashford, and the loanee made no mistake with his first-time finish, slotting it into the bottom corner.
Rashford doubled Villa’s advantage five minutes later. Morgan Rogers won a penalty and Rashford showed composure to send the goalkeeper the wrong way with his spot-kick.
Jacob Ramsey joined the 27-year-old on the scoresheet as Villa booked their place at Wembley, where they will face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup’s last four.
Rashford was subsequently named the player of the match, with his influence on Emery’s side only growing.
Transfer expert Romano has shut down the rumour that Villa could activate their £40million (€48m / $52m) buy option for Rashford before quickly selling him on for profit.
The journalist thinks Rashford is likely to join Villa from United on a permanent basis, though the move will ultimately depend on Villa’s financial situation.
“Aston Villa are very happy with Marcus Rashford in general. So I don’t think, in any case, if they decided to trigger the £40m option clause, I don’t think they would do that just to sell the player again,” Romano said on the Market Madness podcast.
“So in that case, I see Marcus Rashford staying at Aston Villa and having the opportunity to make something long-term with the club.
“What I can say about Marcus Rashford is that it’s going to be really important to understand financially what happens for Aston Villa.
“So now they’re obviously really focused on the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and to see what happens in the Premier League table from now to the end of the season. That’s going to be obviously really important, and then we will have to see financially.”
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Marcus Rashford reigniting career
Rashford left United during the winter transfer window after being dropped by Ruben Amorim.
It was a tough decision for the English international to make as he is a boyhood United fan and had only played for the Red Devils up to that point.
But Rashford had to put game time and his career first and the switch is working wonders.
Emery is a fantastic manager and he is helping Rashford to thrive once again.
The attacker has returned to the England squad and is also looking to help Villa stun Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.
READ MORE: Aston Villa frontrunners to sign explosive Chelsea forward after Blues opt to cash in
Marcus Rashford: Gascoigne hints at stunning transfer
On Thursday, England hero Paul Gascoigne playfully suggested that Rashford might emerge as a target for Real Madrid if he shines at Villa.
Gascoigne said: “I heard he might be going to Real Madrid. He’ll have had more moves than a chess player!”
The ex-Newcastle and Tottenham star added: “Aston Villa is a magnificent club and maybe he’s just got to be happy playing.”
POLL: Rashford’s final goal tally