Manchester United in talks with Aston Villa over swap deal involving Marcus Rashford & Ollie Watkins: Report

The Red Devils reportedly want to get rid of Rashford.

Manchester United and Aston Villa are in talks about a possible swap deal for Ollie Watkins and Marcus Rashford. Rashford, 27, could not impress Ruben Amorim and spent the second half of the previous season on loan at Villa Park.

Villa had the option to sign the English forward for £40 million as part of the loan agreement, but the clause was not activated by the club. Things may have turned out quite differently if the Watkins transfer had gone through. According to reports, the 29-year-old was offered to Arsenal and was ready for a move in January.

The Athletic now claim that United discussed with Villa regarding the signing of Watkins. In addition to Rashford, the Red Devils have now made a further inquiry.

Meanwhile, the United academy star is linked with a move to Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but it’s still unclear where the forward will end up before the end of the summer window.

Manchester United and Aston Villa are in talks over a Rashford and Watkins swap deal

Since Rashford has returned to Old Trafford but seems to have no future at United, a swap with Watkins will end Amorim’s search for a new striker.

In the meantime, Villa are reportedly struggling with the Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules and will have to make one big sale to stay out of trouble.

There have been rumours that Villa Park’s management would take Chelsea’s lead and sell their women’s squad, which would be a contentious decision.

Given that Villa previously allowed one striker to depart during the January transfer window before just losing out on Champions League qualification, selling Watkins would also spark outrage.

For £65 million, Unai Emery’s team approved Jhon Duran’s transfer to Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia. However, Watkins was not necessarily Emery’s first option once Duran left.

Watkins was reportedly left ‘fuming’ as Rashford played both of Villa’s quarterfinal Champions League matches against Paris Saint-Germain.

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