Marcus Rashford's future hangs in the balance as his loan spell at Aston Villa draws to a close as he reportedly refuses to lower his £325,000-a-week wages to help facilitate a move away from Manchester United.
The 27-year-old forward believes the Red Devils would be willing to sell him for £40m to any club this summer, not just Villa.
His short-term contract with the Midlands club expires on 30 June, with the England international set to return to Old Trafford for pre-season training in July.
Rashford's time at Villa has been impactful, particularly during their Champions League quarter-final run where they narrowly lost to Paris St-Germain.
Marcus Rashford's future remains up in the air with Aston Villa yet to make a formal offer
Reuters
However, manager Unai Emery has confirmed the forward will not play again this season due to a hamstring injury suffered before last month's FA Cup semi-final defeat by Crystal Palace.
He is also ineligible for Villa's final match against his parent club at Old Trafford on 25 May.
Despite enjoying his time under Emery, there have been no negotiations over a permanent transfer to Villa.
BBC Sport report that Rashford has no intention of taking a pay cut from his estimated £325,000-a-week salary - which amounts to £15.6million a year.
This significantly limits his potential destinations, as very few clubs worldwide could afford such wages.
His United contract runs until 2028, further complicating any potential move away from Old Trafford.
The Rashford camp believe current United head coach Ruben Amorim has no desire to restore the player to his squad.
This situation mirrors last year's scenario with Jadon Sancho, who joined Chelsea after a public fall-out with then-manager Erik ten Hag.
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Marcus Rashford will not take a pay cut on his £325,000-a-week wages
Reuters
Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has previously expressed frustration at some of the team's highest earners not being on the pitch, further suggesting Rashford's United future may be limited.
Villa still harbour realistic ambitions of a top-five Premier League finish, which would secure Champions League football next season.
This could strengthen their position to broker a deal for Rashford. The forward had previously hoped for a move to Barcelona in January, though no deal materialised.
Ideally, he would prefer to join a Champions League club, though it remains unclear whether Liverpool or Manchester City would be interested, or if Rashford would consider joining United's fiercest rivals.
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Ruben Amorim ousted Marcus Rashford from the first-team
ReutersAnother loan deal rather than a permanent transfer cannot be ruled out for Rashford.
United may need to offer incentives to facilitate Rashford's departure, either through a reduced transfer fee or by covering a portion of his wages, as they reportedly did with Villa paying between 75% and 90% of his salary.
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