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Bukayo Saka starts on the wing for Arsenal as they look for a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

The South Korea forward has stayed in the UK as Spurs travel to Germany in Europa League action.

Marcus Rashford shone bright as Aston Villa narrowly lost on aggregate against Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarter-final tie.

Given his resurgence in form under Unai Emery and his recall to the England national team, plenty of reports have claimed that the Mancunian could end up staying at Villa, where he joined on loan in January.

The Birmingham side have the option of making the loan deal permanent but they will struggle to pay his enormous wages especially if they miss out on Champions League qualification.

However, all this might be rendered moot if Talksport‘s latest report is to be believed. Journalist Alex Crook has claimed that the Englishman still has his heart set on a move to Barcelona in the summer.

Rashford’s future

The Catalan giants have had their eyes on the Carrington graduate ever since the forward had his infamous falling out with Ruben Amorim at Manchester United.

They were expected to come in for the United No 10 in January itself but financial constraints meant they stayed away and Rashford was forced to move to Villa instead.

With Rashford in good form, he believed plenty of Europe’s top clubs will now come after him including the Camp Nou outfit. PSG are also lurking in the background.

A return to Old Trafford is out of the question with INEOS looking to raise money from his sale and a bidding war would suit them just fine.

“Marcus Rashford is hoping his improved form at Aston Villa will attract interest from top European clubs, talkSPORT understands. Rashford has scored three goals and claimed five assists since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United in January.

Villa will not be too pleased

“Villa have the option to pay £40m to make the loan permanent, but Rashford’s dream move when he decided to leave United was Barcelona. talkSPORT also understands Rashford would prefer a switch to the Camp Nou in the summer.

“Paris Saint-Germain, whom Rashford impressed against in Villa’s Champions League exit on Tuesday, are also long-term admirers of the England international. Sources close to United say the prospect of Rashford being welcomed back while Ruben Amorim is manager is slim.”

The Portuguese head coach had decided to drop Rashford from the Manchester derby matchday squad following his disappointing training displays and eventually the Mancunian decided to throw all his toys out of the pram and agitate for an exit soon after.

Whether his dream move materialises remains to be seen but Villa might not be too happy given they placed their trust in the England international when very few other sides stepped up.

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Manchester United are interested in Real Betis winger Jesus Rodriguez, as per reports.

Much has been written about Antony’s prolific form in Spain which has played a key part in helping Betis dream of a Champions League spot.

The 25-year-old Brazilian, on loan from United for the remainder of the season, has been directly involved in eight goals for his new side. Los Verdiblancos, meanwhile, have lost just one of their last eight La Liga games with Antony in their starting lineup.

However, Rodriguez has been equally impressive on the opposite flank, making headlines with his electric pace and dribbling.

The technically gifted left-winger has scored four goals and registered as many assists in all competitions in his breakthrough campaign under Manuel Pellegrini.

In fact, the Spain U21 international has attracted the interest of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Chelsea, with his exploits. Now, it has emerged that United are keeping an eye on the talent as well.

According to journalist Graeme Bailey (vía Fichajes), United are taking advantage of their open dialogue with Betis.

Betis are in talks with the Premier League giants in their attempts to extend Antony’s stay in Seville. It is claimed that United have taken the opportunity to show “serious interest” in the club’s breakout star.

The 19-year-old is highly admired by the figures at Old Trafford and they consider him to be a very good option to strengthen their left flank.

The Spanish outlet add that United have not ruled out the possibility of including Rodriguez’s name in “any future deal for Antony.”

Recently, The Peoples Person relayed a report claiming United are open to slashing their asking price for Alejandro Garnacho, who has struggled in Ruben Amorim’s system.

Garnacho’s possible exit could further intensify the need for a new left-sided attacker and Rodriguez has certainly shown he has the potential to shine at the highest level. 

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The Blues boss is under growing pressure from unhappy fans.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has revealed he is “very happy” with Marcus Rashford’s progress at Villa Park since joining from Manchester United on loan in January, but refused to confirm whether the club would look to sign the forward permanently this summer.

Rashford, 27, swapped Manchester for Birmingham at the end of the winter window to join Villa after a dispute with Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim over attitude and application in training.

The Midlands club agreed to cover 75% of Rashford’s wage packet at Old Trafford, which could rise to 90% with performance-related bonuses. A £40 million buy-clause was also included in the loan deal.

Rashford’s form has dramatically improved since arriving at Villa Park, though it could hardly have got worse such were his dismal performances in a Red shirt for the previous 18 months. The 27-year-old has reclaimed a place in the England squad, with Thomas Tuchel starting him on the left-wing in the Three Lions’ World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia last month.

Rashford appears to have even beaten out fellow English forward Ollie Watkins for the starting striker role at Villa with Emery selecting the United academy graduate up front in the last three games – including last night’s thrilling Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris-Saint Germain.

Rashford started the first leg in Paris but produced an abject display as the Villains were thoroughly outplayed by the Ligue 1 champions, falling to a 3-1 defeat.

However, Emery maintained his faith in Rashford for the crucial return leg at Villa Park as the 27-year-old started in place of Watkins, despite the two-goal deficit. And the Spanish manager’s decision was soundly justified by his loanee, with Rashford producing an electric display – as is often the case against PSG – to come within inches of helping Villa to an unlikely comeback.

The English forward created more chances and completed more dribbles than any other player on the pitch, and came agonisingly close to scoring a brilliant goal, if not for an even more brilliant save by PSG goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, who single-handedly kept his side in the match at times.

A superb assist for Youri Tielemans from Rashford was then follow by a wicked free-kick from the England international, which saw centre-back Ezri Konsa miss a guilt-edged chance to draw Villa level.

Emery chose to withdraw Rashford in the 76n minute for Watkins, much to the relief of the PSG defence and the disbelief of the Villa Park crowd. But the Villains were ultimately unable to find another goal to take the pulsating context to extra-time, drawing question marks on this decision by the Spanish manager.

In his post-match interview, Emery revealed how “happy” the club were with Rashford’s performance and his progress since arriving in January, but declined to confirm Villa would activate the £40 million buy-clause in the loan deal from United.

“It is difficult to plan it now. It depends on the circumstances and what happens in the next weeks. [Rashford’s] feeling comfortable and feeling better. He played a fantastic match vs PSG. We are very happy,” the 53-year-old stated.

Emery has constantly praised Rashford since the switch with the Spaniard believed to have played an integral part in convincing the 27-year-old to join the Birmingham side. It feels as if the decision was left solely to him, Rashford would be wearing claret and blue next season.

However, Villa executives will be aware that there is unlikely to be a significant number of clubs looking to sign Rashford permanently this summer, given United’s price demand and the 27-year-old’s exorbitant wage packet at Old Trafford.

Teams such as AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund expressed an interest in a loan deal for Rashford in January but were unsuccessful in their pursuit due to this salary issue – which will remain an obstacle in the summer.

Similarly, Barcelona were also linked with a switch, and could feasibly match the wage demands, but the Catalonia club is facing acute financial pressure and a move for an expensive left-winger is unlikely to be high on their agenda, given the imperious form of Raphinha.

As such, Villa may be content to let Rashford’s loan deal expire without activating the £40 million buy-clause, in order to allow the forward to return to Manchester and then negotiate a cheaper price.

And it’s perhaps this transfer tactic which leads Emery to state a permanent move for Rashford will depend on “circumstances” given there is already an option to seal the deal, irrespective of circumstances.

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The Reds defender is in discussions to leave his boyhood club this summer.

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has insisted Ruben Amorim is not satisfied with the current players at his disposal.

Amorim has struggled since he was appointed as Erik ten Hag’s replacement in November last year. The squad has found it difficult to adjust to his preferred 3-4-3 system but the Portuguese coach has confirmed on multiple occasions that he is not willing to ditch his principles.

United fell to a 14th defeat of the season on Sunday, as Newcastle beat them 4-1 at St James’ Park. The result left the Red Devils languishing in 14th place.

The 20-time English champions are heading towards what is guaranteed to be their worst-ever Premier League campaign — and that doesn’t even capture the full extent of their struggles this season. The Peoples Person highlighted a string of shocking stats that paint a grim picture of just how bad things have gotten for United.

A busy summer transfer window awaits as the hierarchy, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, work to shape the squad in Amorim’s image.

Speaking at an event staged by his travel company, Cantona declared his support for Amorim, warning against delivering judgment before he has had the opportunity to bring in players he wants.

Cantona said [as quoted by Manchester Evening News], “We have to wait. He did great things at Lisbon and came in during the middle of the season, so he didn’t choose a player, I know he’s unhappy about the players.”

“So we have to wait until this summer. It will be more fair to judge him next season because he has to work with the players he didn’t choose.”

Reflecting om his playing days at Old Trafford, Cantona named his FA Cup final goal against Liverpool as his favourite.

“The goal I scored in the FA Cup final against Liverpool because we won the double, with a new generation of players. A golden generation of players and it was their first season. This is the identity of United for me, rich enough to buy the best players in the world, but also they work hard in the time of Sir Alex Ferguson and young players.”

“So for me it was something that I achieved for the project of Ferguson.”

United are back in action on Thursday when they host Lyon for the return leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie.

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