Man Utd face £20m Marcus Rashford bill after Unai Emery reveals transfer stance

Marcus Rashford is enjoying a positive loan spell at Aston Villa after scoring twice and assisting four under Unai Emery, who is yet to confirm whether the club will sign him permanently this summer

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has admitted he hasn’t thought about whether Marcus Rashford would sign for the club permanently this summer, with Manchester United facing a £20million bill if he leaves. Rashford is enjoying an impressive loan spell at Villa and scored a brace against Preston in the FA Cup quarter-final.

Rashford is showing glimpses of his old self under Emery, which has led to talk that Villa could take up their option to buy him for £40m at the end of the season. But Emery played coy when asked about Rashford’s future in the wake of his two-goal salvo against Preston.

“Not yet,” Emery said. “The most important thing is the challenge now and this afternoon, recovering and then preparing for the match against Brighton tomorrow.

“Still there are a lot of matches to play. If we are in the Champions League, if we are in the Europa League, if we are in the European Conference League or not in Europe or winning a trophy, it is completely different.

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“A decision about each individual players… it is to get the best of them and the best of us. We don’t want to waste time thinking about it.”

The 27-year-old now has two goals and four assists since joining the Villans in January and he is enjoying regular starts that have led to an England recall.

United are anxiously awaiting a decision on Rashford’s future in the knowledge that any scenario will be costly to them, but should he leave they face the prospect of paying off the rest of his £325,000-a-week contract.

It is unlikely Villa would be able to afford to pay him the entirety of his lucrative salary package, so United could be forced to pay Rashford an amount that would add up to £20m – lessening the profit they would receive for the academy graduate.

United’s footballing chief Jim Ratcliffe has already spoken about the huge transfer repayments they will have to make this summer, which amount to about £89m – including for Andre Onana, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Rasmus Hojlund.

Rashford’s current deal at Old Trafford runs until 2028 after he agreed a contract extension in 2023 but honouring that deal looks more and more unlikely after his row with Amorim, who accused the player of “not giving the maximum” in training.

The 27-year-old joined the club aged seven and has gone on to make 426 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 138 times.

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