Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Marcus Rashford is on his way to Aston Villa from Manchester United after declaring ‘here we go’ for the loan move, while revealing all the finer details including which club will be paying which portion of his salary – and as Unai Emery’s side progress towards a second simultaneous attacking addition.
It was revealed on Friday that Aston Villa were showing keen interest in Rashford and they entered advanced talks with Manchester United on Saturday over a loan deal for the rest of the season, which has now been fully agreed upon.
Romano has given his ‘here we go’ treatment to Rashford’s move to Aston Villa, confirming that the England international will undergo his medical today (Sunday).
Rashford will be leaving Manchester United on loan after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim but being personally targeted by Emery.
There have been some conflicting reports about what percentage of Rashford’s salary Villa will be covering, but Romano has clarified it will be ‘over 70%’.
Man Utd pay Rashford a base salary of £300,000 per week, which means Villa will be covering at least £210,000 per week, making him their highest-paid player.
And details have also emerged about how Rashford could remain at Villa Park beyond his six-month loan spell.
Romano has confirmed that Villa will have an option to buy Rashford for £40m if they are impressed with his loan stint.
In fact, they have a three-year contract waiting for him after, which would take him up to 2028 – by which point he will be 30 years old.
In the meantime, Rashford represents an immediate replacement for Jhon Duran for Villa, who sold their Colombian impact forward to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr – where he will play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo – this week.
READ MORE: Man Utd XI after dream end to January transfer window as Dorgu and world-class striker signed
Aston Villa transfers: Two more players chased after Rashford
And Villa might not be finished there when it comes to their winter transfers.
Romano also declared ‘here we go’ for a move for Marco Asensio overnight, confirming they have reached an agreement to sign the former Real Madrid winger on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
Monchi, Villa’s president of football operations, confirmed in an interview this week that Emery was keen on Asensio.
The Spain international is now due to travel for his medical today as well, meaning Villa could get deals for Rashford and Asensio over the line on the same day.
Meanwhile, Villa are ‘insisting’ for Chelsea centre-back Axel Disasi, according to Romano.
Disasi approved a move to Villa a few days ago, but Tottenham were in contact for their own move for the Frenchman yesterday.
And although Spurs have agreed to sign Kevin Danso from Lens, it’s not out of the question that they could bring in two defenders due to their injury crisis.
But Villa remain locked in negotiations as they try to win the race for Disasi, after offloading Diego Carlos earlier in the transfer window.
Man Utd step up striker chase
With Rashford almost out the door, Man Utd are in the market for a late addition to their attack.
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee are their two main strikers, but the latter has disappointed since his summer arrival from Bologna.
According to reports in France, United are now accelerating talks for a new centre-forward to arrive.
The player in question is El Bilal Toure, who currently plays for Stuttgart on loan from Atalanta – where he was originally signed as a Hojlund replacement.
But Man Utd have also held a belief that unsettled Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel wants to join them.
Tel has a number of clubs to pick from after deciding to leave Bayern, but Tottenham couldn’t convince him they were the right destination after agreeing a deal.
Tel could actually be a more like-for-like replacement for Rashford than Toure, due to his ability to play as a left winger or centre-forward.
But time is ticking for United to bring anyone in as they first aim to finalise their deal for new wing-back Patrick Dorgu.
Marcus Rashford’s Man Utd exit timeline
➡️ November 24, 2024: Rashford started as a striker in Amorim’s first game in charge of United and scored two minutes into what ends up as a 1-1 draw.
➡️ December 15, 2024: Amorim left Rashford out of his squad completely for the Manchester derby, allegedly after the forward went on a night out on the Friday.
➡️ December 17, 2024: A one-club man up to that point, Rashford claimed in an interview with Henry Winter that he was ‘ready for a new challenge’.
➡️ December 30, 2024: Rashford earned a recall to the Man Utd squad, but was not brought on against Newcastle. It would be his last call-up under Amorim.
➡️ January 7, 2025: David Ornstein confirmed Rashford’s main suitors for a winter move were AC Milan, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus.
➡️ January 8, 2025: Rashford’s agent travelled to Italy to hold talks with AC Milan over a potential loan move.
➡️ January 23, 2025: West Ham entered the race to take Rashford away from United but keep him in the Premier League.
➡️ January 24, 2025: Milan signed Kyle Walker instead of Rashford, using up their last slot for an English player and ruling out that destination.
➡️ January 27, 2025: Amorim claimed he would rather put goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital on the bench than a player who ‘doesn’t give the maximum every day’ like Rashford.
➡️ January 31, 2025: Reports emerged that Aston Villa were considering making a late bid for Rashford.
➡️ February 1, 2025: Talks between Villa and United for Rashford’s loan move reached an advanced stage.
➡️ February 2, 2025: Rashford was booked in for a medical to become a Villa player on loan for the rest of the season.
Aston Villa medical booked for TODAY as Man Utd salary split is confirmed
