February 1st 2025.
Marcus Rashford is eager for a change of scenery and has set his sights on a move to Aston Villa. The 27-year-old is inching closer to securing a loan deal away from Manchester United, with Villa emerging as an unexpected destination. It was Unai Emery himself who urged the club to pursue Rashford, and talks are now in motion to bring the England international on board.
Rashford had expressed his desire for a new challenge back in December, leading to him being left out of United's squad for the past 12 matches by manager Ruben Amorim. While his preferred destination is believed to be Barcelona, a move to Camp Nou is becoming increasingly complicated as the January transfer window draws to a close. As per the latest reports from Manchester Evening News, Rashford is now open to joining Villa and is hopeful that a deal can be finalized before the deadline on Monday at 11pm.
Villa are in dire need of attacking reinforcements after Jhon Duran's departure to Al-Nassr for a hefty sum of £64 million. They were also in the race to sign Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel, but the latest updates suggest that the French Under-21 international is leaning towards a move to Arsenal or United, having already turned down Tottenham's advances.
Amorim has not been impressed with Rashford's efforts in training and has openly questioned his commitment. Meanwhile, Arsenal are keen on signing Ollie Watkins, but Villa have been adamant about keeping hold of the striker, with Emery asserting just last Friday that Watkins is content with staying at the club. In contrast, Rashford has only managed to find the back of the net seven times in 24 appearances this season for United.
Despite falling out of favor with Amorim, Rashford's return to the starting lineup is not entirely out of the question. However, the United boss has made it clear that the forward needs to make some changes first. In his own words, "Rashford must change" before he can make a comeback to the team. Amorim has also stated that he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital than Rashford, or any other player who fails to give their all in training.
Emery has personally taken an interest in Villa's pursuit of Rashford and has requested the club to make the move happen. The Spanish coach believes that Rashford's talents would significantly improve their squad, but only if the player is willing to put in the effort and make the necessary changes. As Emery puts it, "We need goals, we need players who can go one on one, we need a threat in the final third."
If Rashford does end up leaving United, it could pave the way for the club to make a move for Bayern's young star Tel. On the other hand, Villa can offer Rashford the opportunity to play in the Champions League this season, having secured their place in the last 16 of the competition just this week. It remains to be seen how this transfer saga unfolds in the final days of the January transfer window.
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