Marcus Rashford shone bright as Aston Villa narrowly lost on aggregate against Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Given his resurgence in form under Unai Emery and his recall to the England national team, plenty of reports have claimed that the Mancunian could end up staying at Villa, where he joined on loan in January.
The Birmingham side have the option of making the loan deal permanent but they will struggle to pay his enormous wages especially if they miss out on Champions League qualification.
However, all this might be rendered moot if Talksport‘s latest report is to be believed. Journalist Alex Crook has claimed that the Englishman still has his heart set on a move to Barcelona in the summer.
Rashford’s future
The Catalan giants have had their eyes on the Carrington graduate ever since the forward had his infamous falling out with Ruben Amorim at Manchester United.
They were expected to come in for the United No 10 in January itself but financial constraints meant they stayed away and Rashford was forced to move to Villa instead.
With Rashford in good form, he believed plenty of Europe’s top clubs will now come after him including the Camp Nou outfit. PSG are also lurking in the background.
A return to Old Trafford is out of the question with INEOS looking to raise money from his sale and a bidding war would suit them just fine.
“Marcus Rashford is hoping his improved form at Aston Villa will attract interest from top European clubs, talkSPORT understands. Rashford has scored three goals and claimed five assists since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United in January.
Villa will not be too pleased
“Villa have the option to pay £40m to make the loan permanent, but Rashford’s dream move when he decided to leave United was Barcelona. talkSPORT also understands Rashford would prefer a switch to the Camp Nou in the summer.
“Paris Saint-Germain, whom Rashford impressed against in Villa’s Champions League exit on Tuesday, are also long-term admirers of the England international. Sources close to United say the prospect of Rashford being welcomed back while Ruben Amorim is manager is slim.”
The Portuguese head coach had decided to drop Rashford from the Manchester derby matchday squad following his disappointing training displays and eventually the Mancunian decided to throw all his toys out of the pram and agitate for an exit soon after.
Whether his dream move materialises remains to be seen but Villa might not be too happy given they placed their trust in the England international when very few other sides stepped up.
Feature image Dan Istitene via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
