Marcus Rashford: ‘Aston Villa race Barcelona to agree permanent Man United deal’
Bayern Munich and Barcelona have entered the race to sign Marcus Rashford from Man United after he returns from his loan spell at Aston Villa.
That is according to former Man United and Villa scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected at his former clubs, as he exclusively told Football Insider that all parties could benefit from Rashford’s impressive loan form.
Both European giants are believed to have been interested during the January transfer window, but no official move was made, and they are continuing to track his performances.
Hansi Flick’s side have been long-term admirers of the Villa man, while Brown told Football Insider that Rashford wants to join Barcelona.
However, emerging interest from Bayern Munich among other clubs will allow United to drive up his asking price and accept the offer which most benefits them.
Any deal will depend on the forward’s displays for Villa, as he continues to work his way into Unai Emery’s first-team plans, having come off the bench in three of his four appearances.
Marcus Rashford to make ‘big-money’ move away from Man United
Brown told Football Insider that Villa want to sign Rashford on a permanent deal and are putting plans in place – as long as he keeps up his impressive performances.
Now, the former scout who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, has insisted that the level of interest in his performances will benefit all parties.
“I hear Barcelona and Bayern Munich are looking at him,” he told Football Insider.
“If he keeps performing to his best level, it’s a three-way win-win-win situation.
“Villa win because they get a very good player for six months, Marcus wins because he has the opportunity to show off his talent and potential earn a big move.
“And at the end of the day, Man United win because they’re more likely to get their highest-paid player off the books rather than having an unhappy player at the club.
“If these top clubs are interested and they come in, his value will shoot up.
“United will look to drive his price tag up and make as much money as they can from him.
“Having these top teams interested will do them no harm at all.
“So then everybody’s a winner – but only if he keeps performing as well as he can.
“He’s certainly got enough in his locker, it’s just a question of if you can get it out of him, and I think he’s got to help himself by working hard to be the best he can be.
“So the likes of Bayern and Barcelona will be looking at him to see if he’s going to be at that level.
“It all depends what he can do while he’s at Villa, that’s the expectation.”
Alejandro Garnacho could quit Old Trafford
Alongside Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho was heavily linked to a move away from Man United in the January transfer window.
Chelsea and Napoli were both interested in Garnacho, who was viewed as a sellable asset to help with the ongoing profit and sustainability concerns behind the scenes at Old Trafford.
Now, Brown has told Football Insider that the 20-year-old is questioning his future at the club, and Garnacho could quit Man United in the summer.
The winger has grown concerned about his playing time as he has largely featured from the bench in recent weeks – leading to questions about his long-term role.
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