Aston Villa may have been handed a huge transfer boost ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window, according to reports - with Marcus Rashford now thought to be preferring a move to Villa Park on a permanent deal, pulling a u-turn on his former ambitions to join Barcelona.
Rashford moved on at the end of the January transfer window after a sad end to his Manchester United campaign, joining after he failed to play for a month - and with the Villans restoring him to his best, that could see them become the preferred option.
Report: Marcus Rashford 'Prefers' Aston Villa Move
He's changed his mind after formerly preferring Barcelona
marcus rashford
The report by the Daily Express reporter, Charlie Gordon, states that Rashford would rather stay at Villa than move abroad this summer, having relished his return to first-team action after being frozen out by Ruben Amorim earlier in the campaign.
Rashford began the Amorim era with a goal inside the first two minutes vs Ipswich Town in late November, and bagged a brace the week after - though he was left out of the Manchester derby in mid-December, and failed to make a single appearance until his switch to the West Midlands.
The report by Gordon, via the Daily Express' website, goes on to state Villa have a £40million option in his loan contract to make the move permanent, but their transfer decision on his future could depend on which European competition they progress to in the final few weeks of the Premier League campaign.
Marcus Rashford's Premier League statistics - Aston Villa squad ranking
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Rashford had looked to join Barcelona in the winter window prior to his move to Villa, but the report further states that his strong working relationship with Unai Emery means that he could be 'swayed' towards staying at Villa Park.
Rashford will have a say on his next move, but whether he makes the permanent switch to the second city may not be down to him. Villa could try to negotiate their £40million option down, but the major stumbling block is the England international's £350,000-per-week wage.
It would blow any current Villa wage out of the water by some distance. And, with the club wary of PSR deadlines and breaches according to various reports, that could put a deal in jeopardy. A return to Old Trafford remains unlikely, and it remains to be seen if other parties will enter the conversation in the summer.
Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 15-05-25.
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