Aston Villa conditions for Asensio and Rashford transfers emerge already
Unai Emery added several big-name players to his Aston Villa squad in the winter transfer window to cope with the demanding schedule in the second half of the season.
The Villans are still fighting for a European finish in the Premier League while also pushing in the Champions League and FA Cup for silverware.
Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio have both been sensational since they arrived in the winter window, although the future of both attackers remains unclear.
Chris Sutton tells Aston Villa what to do
There has been plenty of debate over whether a trophy or a higher Premier League finish is more important for Villa, but at this stage, there is no reason why they can’t aim for both.
If the Villans are successful again this season, though, they will have to manage with the increased number of games again next term.
With this in mind, Emery will be looking ahead to the summer transfer window, knowing more new faces could be needed.
The answers to who could be added may already be in the squad, though, with Rashford likely to leave Manchester United in the summer and Asensio keen on making his move permanent.
| Player | Appearances (all competitions) | Goals | Assists |
| Marcus Rashford | 10 | 2 | 4 |
| Marco Asensio | 13 | 7 | 0 |
However, Chris Sutton has warned the West Midlands outfit that how they finish the season could be crucial in their pursuits.
Writing for BBC Sport (31 March), Sutton said: “What a season Aston Villa are having, with a Champions League quarter-final and FA Cup semi-final to look forward to.
“Their recruitment in January has been key – a lot has been made of how well Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio are playing after joining on loan, and rightly so.
“Whether Villa can turn them into permanent signings in the summer might depend on whether they get in next season’s Champions League, however.
“While this is exactly the scenario they want, finishing in the top five is going to be tough on top of everything else, and it is games like this where everything might catch up with them.”
Emery has key decisions to make
How Aston Villa end the season could very well have an impact on the position they find themselves in during the summer transfer window.
With that in mind, you can expect that the manager who has been cool-natured throughout the campaign so far will continue with that aura up until the end of the campaign.
Villa are said to have an opportunity to sign Rashford at the end of the campaign, but at a fee of £40million, that could be higher than what the men in Claret and Blue are prepared to go.
Asensio, on the other hand, is reportedly set to be available permanently for a fee of £12.5million, after being frozen out at PSG, surely making this a no-brainer.
The focus for now has to be on finishing the season on a positive note and whether it makes the difference with Rashford or not, a Champions League place could definitely increase the calibre of player Villa can go after in the summer.