Aston Villa loanee Marcus Rashford is reportedly open to a permanent switch, but we could face significant competition for his signature this summer.
The 27-year-old joined us on loan from Manchester United in January, and went on to contribute four goals and six assists in 17 appearances across all competitions.
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While a hamstring injury has recently sidelined him, he has seemingly already played his last game of the current season, and so a decision will need to be made by the Villa hierarchy on his future beyond this campaign.
According to The Telegraph, Villa can make Rashford’s stint a permanent switch by paying £40m to United, and it’s noted that the forward is open to the move to Villa Park.
However, importantly, it’s added that there are no terms in the loan agreement that give us preferential treatment as we don’t hold a first option on him, and so other clubs can buy him at the same price if they wish to do so.
Further, it’s noted that Villa are currently covering around 75 percent of Rashford’s wages, and so whether it’s a permanent switch or another loan deal for next season, the expectation is that he’ll have to take a pay-cut for it to happen, or United would have to continue to contribute if it’s the latter option.
There’s no doubt that Rashford, along with Marco Asensio, gave us an important lift for the second half of the season with their impact in the final third, and the England international even displaced Ollie Watkins in Unai Emery’s starting line-up at times with the Villa boss clearly impressed with how he integrated and adapted to his demands so quickly to establish himself as a decisive figure.
With a lack of competition for Watkins up front currently, and amid speculation over his future this summer, there could be some crucial decisions ahead for the club in sorting out our options up front and ensuring that we have plenty of firepower moving forward.
Rashford’s versatility to play either on the left wing or up front also makes him an appealing option, along with his pace, movement and directness suiting us and our preferred style of play.
In turn, he ticks a lot of key boxes to certainly force Villa to give the idea of signing him on a permanent basis some serious thought, but time will tell if the pieces fall into place for it to be feasible financially, and if we’re able to fend off competition and convince Rashford that extending his time with us is the best choice for his career in the long run.
Should Villa sign Rashford on a permanent basis?