Marcus Rashford is reportedly determined to complete a permanent move to Aston Villa during this summer's transfer window.
The 27-year-old joined Villa on loan from Manchester United in January, and he has made a strong start to his career with Unai Emery's side, providing two assists in five appearances in all competitions.
Villa have the chance to sign Rashford on a permanent basis during the summer market for a fee in the region of £40m, but it had been claimed that the forward was still holding out for a switch to Barcelona.
The Man United academy product is believed to have been pushing for a move to Hansi Flick's team in the winter market, but the Catalan giants ultimately could not make the deal work from a financial point of view.
According to The Sun, Rashford is confident that Villa are the right club for him at this stage of his career, and the forward wants to secure a permanent move to Villa Park at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
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Rashford 'wants permanent move to Villa'
Rashford allegedly believes that Villa head coach Emery could help him secure a return to the England squad, with the forward desperate to be a part of the Three Lions set-up under new manager Thomas Tuchel.
The attacker has scored 138 goals and registered 63 assists in 426 appearances for Man United, but his commitment to the cause was questioned by Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim in December.
Amorim continued to leave the door open for Rashford to return to the squad, but he ultimately left the Red Devils on loan in January.
Villa suffered a 4-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in the Premier League earlier this week, with the result leaving them down in 10th position in England's top flight, five points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.
Emery's side are also in the FA Cup, welcoming Cardiff City in the fifth round of the competition on Friday night, but the Villa manager has said that his side "are not a contender" to win the trophy this term.
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Emery: 'Villa not contenders to win the FA Cup'
"It's a way for a trophy and it's a way for Europe. The winner is playing next year in the Europa League," Emery told reporters ahead of the contest with Cardiff.
"We have three ways [to get into Europe]: Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. We are not contenders in FA Cup to win this trophy.
"To try to compete in this competition and to have a way for a trophy is very important. And then prestige. Every player, the club, the coaches – everybody would like one way trying to get prestige as well."
Rashford will be bidding to make just his second start for Villa on Friday evening, with the forward primarily used off the bench by Emery since arriving at Villa Park in the latter stages of the winter market.
Matt Law
