Marcus Rashford is reportedly “close to agreeing” a loan move to Aston Villa before the January transfer window closes.
The Manchester United forward has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, who has not played the 27-year-old since the 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Uefa Europa League on 12 December.
Rashford has been linked with a number of clubs in Europe, including Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan, but Villa have quickly jumped to the top of the queue after entering the race this week.
Marcus Rashford closes in on shock Aston Villa transfer
The Midlands outfit have made “significant progress” on a potential deal, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein and Laurie Whitwell, who claim an option to buy will be included.
Villa will cover a “significant portion” of Rashford’s salary, although the proposed move is yet to be finalised. The club are said to be working on financial terms and are trying to “convince the player” ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.
The prospect of playing Champions League football is “an appeal” for Rashford, while Unai Emery is “fully behind the approach” after requesting the club enter talks for the England international.
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Relations between Rashford and Amorim have broken down since the player said in December that he was “ready for a new challenge and the next steps” of his career, with reports claiming the pair are no longer on speaking terms.
Following Sunday’s 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage, the Portuguese tactician said that he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach than Rashford given the player’s performance in training.
Amorin said on Wednesday that his shunning of Rashford from the Man Utd team was “nothing personal” as he has to “set some certain standards” in the squad.
“Our team should be so much better with Rashford,” he said. “But he has to change. If he changes, we are more than welcome to put in a talent like Rashford and we need it.
“In this moment, I think it’s really clear that we have to set some certain standards. We are waiting for Marcus, if he wants it really, really bad.
“You try to make it something personal but it’s not personal, I have nothing against Marcus. I have to make the same rules for everybody and that for me it’s so simple, it’s always the same.”
Rashford is among United’s top earners at a reported £325,000 per week and his contract runs until 2028.
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