New Prem side prepare Rashford bid if Aston Villa reject Man Utd loanee

A London club are ready to strike a deal to sign Marcus Rashford if Aston Villa ignore their option to buy the Manchester United loanee, according to a report.

Rashford has looked a man on a mission since joining Aston Villa via the loan route. The 27-year-old has bagged eight goal contributions in 14 appearances thus far and even got the nod to start ahead of Ollie Watkins for the first leg of Aston Villa’s Champions League tie with PSG last week.

Villa’s agreement with Man Utd contains an option to buy worth £40m. But according to a fresh update from The Sun, a rival Premier League side are waiting in the wings if Unai Emery and Co. get cold feet.

It’s claimed Crystal Palace – who’ve picked up the sixth-most points in 2025 –  have ‘lined up’ Rashford.

The Eagles are said to be ‘plotting a sensational swoop’ and plan to hold talks with Rashford and his camp in the event a permanent switch to Villa Park falls through.

The Sun cited a source with intimate knowledge of the situation as saying: “Palace are keeping a very close eye on Rashford and what happens with Villa and United.

“There is a good buzz around the club at the moment and someone like Marcus is exactly the kind of player they would love to attract.

“They know they would have to keep onto their better players to try and persuade Marcus to move to South London.”

What next for Marcus Rashford?

Convincing Rashford to join Crystal Palace was acknowledged as a difficult undertaking in the report. What’s more, TEAMtalk has been told Rashford’s priority if he doesn’t sign with Villa outright is a move abroad.

Nonetheless, Palace are a team on the rise under Oliver Glasner and may have European football on offer next season.

Palace have advanced to the semi-finals of the FA Cup where coincidentally, they’ll face Rashford and Aston Villa. The winners of the FA Cup will secure entry into next year’s Europa League.

There is also the small matter of Rashford’s high salary – roughly £325,000-a-week – that must be contended with.

Palace are not in a position to hand out contracts on that scale, meaning Rashford would have to accept a sizeable pay-cut to make a move to south London a reality.

Of course, all of the above may not matter if Aston Villa simply activate their option to buy.

A prior update from The Sun claimed Emery has already seen enough to convince him Rashford is a player worth signing to a permanent deal.

The Spaniard has reportedly pushed the Villa board to trigger the option and per the report, the club have listened.

Only a U-turn from that stance or failure to agree personal terms with Rashford will open the door to a difficult deal for Crystal Palace.

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