‘Aston Villa in pole position to agree £130m to sign loan sensation Marcus Rashford deal’
Aston Villa are leading Barcelona in the race to sign Marcus Rashford on a permanent deal, according to their former senior scout.
Mick Brown, who also worked as the chief scout at Man United and Blackburn and remains very well-connected at his former clubs, exclusively told Football Insider that United are trying to maximise their profits from his sale.
The 27-year-old’s performances have established him as an important player under Unai Emery and a permanent stay at Villa Park is now the most likely option.
All parties have benefited from the loan spell so far, as the forward has been given a platform to showcase his talent and attract permanent interest.
Villa also have a £40million option to buy at the end of his short-term deal.
However, this comes after Football Insider revealed Rashford will cost £130million in total given the requirement to match his current £350,000-per-week wage cost over a five-year period as well as pay the option.
Aston Villa lead race to sign Marcus Rashford
Brown told Football Insider in February that Bayern Munich and Barcelona want to sign Rashford and are eyeing a permanent deal when he returns to Man United.
Now, the former scout who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, explained that all parties have benefited from his short-term loan spell at Villa Park.
“Marcus going out on loan has been a win-win,” he told Football Insider.
“There was no way his situation at Man United was going to improve, so from that point of view he’s gone away and improved his position.
“There’s never been any doubt about Marcus’ talent, and now he’s found a platform to display that.
“Aston Villa have gained from it because they were brave enough to take him on loan.
“Now, I think they’ll be in the best position to keep him on a permanent deal even though there’s going to be interest from elsewhere.
“He’s established there and it’s been a good deal for everybody involved.
“I think there’s more to come for him there now that he’s got his first couple of goals – that link up with Asensio has been excellent.
“If they can keep that going and Villa can keep him at the club they’ll be much better for it.
“Manchester United will no doubt benefit as well because they can maximise his price tag when if he had stayed he was a depreciating asset.“
Unai Emery plotting move to sign Hayden Hackney
On top of their plans to sign Rashford on a permanent deal, Villa are also targeting improvements in a number of other areas ahead of the summer window.
Football Insider revealed on 22 March that Villa want to sign Middlesbrough star Hayden Hackney and have joined Crystal Palace and Tottenham in the race for his signature.
There is a growing feeling the 22-year-old will be prepared to make the step up in divisions this summer as interest in his signature continues to grow.
This comes after Brown told Football Insider that Crystal Palace scouts have been watching Hackney with a summer deal in mind.
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