Marcus Rashford exclusive as behind-the-scenes push for Aston Villa exit leaked
Aston Villa will not be able to trigger the option to sign Marcus Rashford from Manchester United permanently unless the player wants it, Dan Plumley has said.
Rashford joined Villa as a late winter transfer window signing, arriving on loan until the end of the season with the Birmingham-based club holding an option to buy him later for £40million.
The Manchester United loanee has made a bright start to life at Villa Park, bagging three assists in six appearances across all competitions.
However, the forward already wants to quit Villa in favour of a move to Barcelona in the summer transfer window, according to The Sun.
Aston Villa told to focus on short-term Rashford agreement
Plumley is not surprised to see Rashford continue to be linked with a move to Barcelona as the La Liga giants were also his preferred option in the winter.
The football finance expert insisted that there will be more leaks regarding a potential Villa exit with several people mooted to be involved in pushing a transfer to Spain.
| Minutes | Assists | Dribbles Completed | Chances Created | Accurate Passes | Shots | Big Chances Missed |
| 82 | 1 | 3/3 (1st) | 6 (1st) | 42/49 (86%) | 6 | 2 |
Meanwhile, he advised Unai Emery’s side to focus on getting the most out of Rashford between now and the end of the season, having invested a “huge amount” in his transfer.
“We know that Barcelona was his preferred option and I guess it is no surprise to see [him still linked with a move]”, Plumley exclusively told Villa News.
“This is going to be leaked and you’re going hear things about it all the way through now because there’ll be lots of people involved that are obviously pushing for that to happen as well. So, I guess that comes back to part of the risk in this for Villa.
“Obviously, he seemed to have a lively couple of appearances so far, and we certainly know he’s talented, so I’m sure if he kicks on, he can really help Villa on the pitch this season, but they are putting a huge amount of money into it.
Rashford will not return to Manchester United
“There is an option to buy, but there’s no suggestion that that has to happen and the player has to want that as well.
“So I think we’ll keep hearing these little things, and yes, from Villa’s point of view, ultimately you just want to focus on getting the best out of him in the short term and helping Villa on the pitch, and hopefully that doesn’t become too much of a disruptive factor internally I guess, and then starts to affect the playing side of things.”
One thing is for certain, Rashford is unlikely to play for Manchester United again, which means Villa have a solid chance of signing him permanently.
If everything goes well, there is no reason why Emery’s side cannot even negotiate a lower fee for the England international this summer.