Aston Villa’s rivals may steal a march on Rashford transfer with man United keen to sell the forward in the summer.
Aston Villa’s rivals could make £40m Marcus Rashford offer.
It is believed that if the forward and parent club consent to the transfer, there is no provision in their contract with United that prohibits other teams from purchasing Rashford for the same fee. Rashford began a loan deal with Villa in January.
Rashford, who makes around £365,000 a week and has a contract with United until 2028, anticipates returning for preseason at the beginning of July. However, due to a breakdown in their relationship, it is unlikely that the 27-year-old would play for the team again while Ruben Amorim is head coach.
Rashford is believed to receive at least 75% of his income from Villa; if he joined a team paying less than his full contract, United would be responsible for making up the difference because the player is unwilling to accept a pay reduction. This may amount to millions of pounds, which United might tack on to any transfer fee in order to cover the cost.
Another loan arrangement may be possible. Rashford has expressed his desire to play for a Champions League squad and his reluctance to sign with a London-based team.
Rashford was called up to the England squad in March after making 17 appearances at Villa, where he has four goals and six assists. However, a hamstring injury has kept him out of Villa’s last three games. He may not play for the club again because he is ineligible for their final fixture, against United.
Amorim’s team will play their farewell Premier League match on Friday night at Chelsea. To be ready for Wednesday’s Europa League final against Tottenham, the Portuguese wants them to perform like it’s a final.
He said: “The best way is to face the game like we should face the game: to win the game. We need to perform, we need to win points in the Premier League and that is the feeling. We talked about that after [losing 2-0 to] West Ham [on Sunday]. We need to improve in the way we face competitions. Stay focused in every moment of the game because against West Ham we had clear situations to score, in the first opportunity of West Ham they scored one goal so these small details matter. The only way I know to prepare for a final is in the normal game we must play the same way as a final.”