Man Utd to make Marcus Rashford swap deal offer as star shines at Aston Villa

are contemplating a surprising swap deal involving that could see them secure Arsenal transfer target . Rashford, 27, has spent the latter half of the season with Villa, who have the option to purchase him outright for £40million. The England international's performance has impressed Villa manager Unai Emery, so much so that he started as the centre-forward in both Champions League quarter-final legs against Paris Saint-Germain.

This faith in Rashford has come at the expense of Watkins, who only started one of Villa's last six games before their match against Newcastle on Saturday. Watkins answered his recall with a goal and an assist in a decisive 4-1 victory, enhancing Villa's chances of finishing in the top five. The 29-year-old was the subject of a £60m bid from Arsenal in the January transfer window, but Emery and his team stood firm, choosing to sell Jhon Duran instead.

As summer approaches, United are prepared to challenge Villa's determination. The reports that the Old Trafford bosses would consider offering Rashford, plus a substantial cash payment, in return for Watkins.

Despite being unlikely to equal his previous season's tally of 27 goals, Watkins has still scored 16 in all competitions this season. The ex-Brentford star also became a hero for England, netting the winning goal against the Netherlands in the dying moments of their Euro 2024 semi-final match.

United are on a mission to bolster their striking options this summer, as Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have only managed to net 15 goals between them. Ipswich's Liam Delap is another candidate but the Red Devils will face stiff competition from other Premier League clubs.

Meanwhile, despite being contracted until 2028, there's been much speculation around Watkins' future. He expressed his frustration to Emery for not starting in either of the games against PSG, which saw Villa narrowly eliminated.

In a post-match interview with Sky Sports following their victory over Newcastle, Watkins said: "Champions League, we've put in a lot of hard graft in the last few years to get to that position. I played 20 minutes against PSG in both games, so I'm not going to lie - I was fuming I wasn't playing.

"I let him (Emery) know that. He's the manager at the end of the day. I respect his decision. But I'm not one of the players happy to sit on the bench.

"It's something I haven't experienced before and then to miss out on the biggest stage, you always want to play, especially in the Champions League." Me and a few others are disappointed we didn't start the game but like I said, it's the manager's decision.

"We did end up beating them but obviously not across both legs. The team played really well but I wanted to be out on the pitch much longer. I wanted to be starting in the important games because I've played a big part to get to where we are today."