Aston Villa ‘ready low Marcus Rashford bid’ with Manchester United now desperate
Aston Villa have plenty to play for this season despite their heartbreaking elimination from the Champions League in the week.
Villa needed four goals at one stage of the first half against Paris Saint-Germain and got 75 per cent of the job done, coming agonisingly close to one of the all-time great European comebacks.
Even more so than that, it was very nearly Marco Asensio – still on the books of PSG – who could have knocked them out and completed the comeback. Since his arrival alongside the likes of Donyell Malen and Marcus Rashford, he has made a huge impact.
Aston Villa ready to submit Rashford bid already
Rashford made the first transfer of his professional career when he switched to Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United, one of January’s high-profile moves.
The 27-year-old has since returned to the England squad under Thomas Tuchel and has had an impact for the majority of the time he has been given match action. He was entrusted by Unai Emery to lead the line against PSG over Ollie Watkins.
Rashford’s damaged relationship with United and Ruben Amorim means his future at Old Trafford is completely in the abyss, and Graeme Souness has projected Villa to make a permanent bid – albeit a low offer.
Writing in the print edition of Mail Sport (19 April, pg 5), Souness said the Villans’ knowledge of how “desperate” United are means they will not offer an immediate helping hand with a hefty fee on the table.
“Aston Villa know this is a huge transfer for Manchester United. If they pay the £40million fee, it gives United greater headroom with profit and sustainability rules (PSR) to buy in the summer, so why should Villa do United any favours?” Souness explained.
“They know how desperate United are, so they’ll likely bid low. Villa won’t want to match Rashford’s wages because then they will have everyone else knocking on the manager’s door asking for over £300,000 a week. They know United need to sell him, and they will also have to pay him off to go.”
Villa know next two games could dictate European fate
Aston Villa, with Rashford, know that their next two Premier League fixtures are likely to dictate whether or not they will get another crack at the Champions League next season.
Now they have been eliminated from this year’s competition, the only alternative way outside of the league to reach Europe is by winning the FA Cup – but that would be a Europa League spot.
If Villa do not win the cup and falter in the league, they could be saved in terms of European qualification by Manchester City or Nottingham Forest instead winning the cup. Should the duo both finish above Villa in the Premier League, the FA Cup winners’ European spot will funnel further down the league table.
| Aston Villa – next three games | Date |
| Newcastle (H) | 19 April |
| Man City (A) | 22 April |
| Crystal Palace (N) – FA Cup SF | 26 April |
FA Cup runners-up are no longer awarded the European prize if they are beaten by a club already in Europe, so to eliminate 12th-placed Crystal Palace in next week’s Wembley semi-final (26 April) carries added incentive.
However, bypassing all of that concern would be great if Villa can overcome Newcastle United and Manchester City within the next three days. After that, it’s Wembley.