'Terms agreed' - Man Utd next transfer deal 'imminent' as manager ‘has phone call’ with wantaway striker

Manchester United could yet add to their squad before Monday’s 11pm transfer deadline as they are reportedly set to clear come major space on their wage bill. Patrick Dorgu’s move to Old Trafford is just waiting an official announcement while on Saturday United confirmed Ayden Heaven had joined the club from Arsenal.

Heaven said: “I am incredibly proud to join Manchester United. I’m grateful to everyone who helped make this dream a reality. There is so much that I want to achieve in the game, I’ll be giving everything to continue my development and become the best player that I can be.”

Both Heaven and Dorgu have arrived to strengthen Ruben Amorim’s defensive options with the former Sporting CP boss still keen to add a striker before the window closes. United do not have the funds to spend money on a new forward and are largely restricted to loans. There is also the issue of the clubs wage bill with the Red Devils keen to move the likes of Casemiro and Marcus Rashford on. Both men are on large salaries but one of them now looks set to depart after a surprise transfer twist.

Rashford set to join Aston Villa

Widespread reports emerged on Saturday that Rashford had agreed personal terms with United’s Premier League rivals Aston Villa. According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the deal is imminent with an initial loan move on the cards. An option to make it permanent is likely to be included after Unai Emery had a phonecall with Rashford to convince him of the move.

The United academy graduate expressed his desire in December to find a new challenge after spending his whole career with the Red Devils. He has been eyed by the likes of Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund this month but neither club have been able to afford his wages. West Ham have also expressed an interest along with the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur but none of those clubs moved to make a deal happen. Villa will be able to offer Rashford Champions League football after they finished in the top eight of the league phase.

The Red Devils have been keen on Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel and clearing Rashford’s wage would remove one potential stumbling block to getting a deal done.

Amorim on Rashford

United boss Amorim has left Rashford out of his squad for the majority of games since the forward spoke of his desire to leave the club. After last weekend’s 1-0 win over Fulham, Amorim said he’d rather pick the club’s 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital over a player “who doesn't give the maximum every day."

The comment came amid reference to Rashford as he said: "It's always the same reason: the training, the way I see a footballer should do in life. It's every day, every detail. If things don't change, I will not change. It's the same situation for every player, if you do the maximum and right things we can use every player. You can see on the bench we miss a bit of pace on the bench. But I would put Vital before a player who doesn't give the maximum every day."

Ahead of United’s Europa League win at FCSB, Amorim also said of Rashford: "Our team, you can look at our team and imagine the profile of the players. Now imagine a talent like Rashford. If he changes, we are more than welcome to put a talent like Rashford [in the squad]. And we need it. But in this moment, I think it's really clear that we have to set some standards. We are waiting for Marcus, if he wants [to play] really really bad."

In other news, in-form Liverpool striker Cody Gakpo has sensationally claimed that he nearly became a Manchester United player in the summer of 2022 before ultimately completing a move to the team’s rivals at Anfield six months later.