Aston Villa enter race for Marcus Rashford as Barcelona move falters
Aston Villa have emerged late contenders for Manchester United’s out-of-favour striker Marcus Rashford in the ongoing January transfer window.
The 27-year-old England international has not featured for the Red Devils since their Europa League clash against Plzen on December 12.
Rashford, who has been linked with loan moves to AC Milan, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, has his heart set on a transfer to Barcelona.
However, the Spanish club’s financial constraints, particularly concerning Rashford’s hefty £325,000-a-week wages, have made a deal increasingly unlikely.
With Villa looking to bolster their attack following Jhon Duran’s £64million move to Al Nassr and Emi Buendia’s departure to Bayer Leverkusen, Unai Emery’s team sees Rashford as a potential support for their leading scorer, Ollie Watkins.
Despite his desire to join Barcelona, Rashford would reportedly need some convincing to move to Villa on a temporary basis.
His performances this season have been underwhelming, with only four goals in 15 appearances, leading to United’s manager Ruben Amorim stating last week, “I would rather pick my 63-year-old goalkeeping coach over the wantaway forward.”
Rashford, who signed a five-year contract extension with Manchester United in the summer of 2023, now faces a vital decision in his career as the transfer window deadline approaches.
