'Deal off' - Man Utd transfer twist as player's hopes of exit collapse as new loan offer 'submitted'

Marcus Rashford’s desired exit from Manchester United took a major step forward on Saturday as he closed in on a move to Premier League rivals Aston Villa - but he is not the only Red Devils star who is in line for a departure.

Rashford agreed personal terms with Villa ahead of a potential loan move after holding talks with a number of clubs since the January transfer window opened. The forward is just one player who is set for the Old Trafford exit door before the deadline with defender Tyrell Malacia another poised to leave the club.

The Dutch left-back’s planned departure comes after a deal was agreed with Lecce to sign defender Patrick Dorgu. The Danish international is set to have his transfer officially confirmed ahead of Monday’s 11pm deadline.

Malacia ‘deal off’

As Malacia looks to leave United, Portuguese club Benfica had shown strong interest in the player. According to the Daily Mail, Malaica had already said goodbye to his teammates at Carrington as he looked to seal a move to Portugal. However, the deal is now off with United looking at other options for Malacia with a number of clubs still interested.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on X: “Tyrell Malacia’s loan move to Benfica from Man United has definitely collapsed. No agreement on loan fee and future buy option. Man United keep looking at options for Malacia as there are several loan requests.”

He added later that Benfica had submitted a loan offer for AS Roma defender Samuel Dahl with the two clubs now in talks with the Malacia deal off. Meanwhile, Dorgu is expected to be at Old Trafford when United host Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, though he is not eligible to feature in the match.

Amorim on Malacia’s future

United boss Ruben Amorim was questioned recently if Malacia had a future at Old Trafford and responded: "We will see. What I know is that it's really hard on Malacia. It is a long time without playing, and then it's hard to play a lot of games. A player like him is a full-back. He played with the national team outside and inside, but sometimes in this system, sometimes it's hard for him because he's not so offensive. He can play as one of the three defenders, if we have more possession and more control of the games. It's a really difficult context for him. But he's our player and we are going to help him."

Malacia’s future could also be impacted by Luke Shaw’s pending return from injury. Providing an update on the ex-Southampton man’s fitness, Amorim said after the win over FCSB in the Europa League: "It will take a little bit more time. I think he needs to train more, to spend more time with his teammates playing as normal, even small sided games. Not just working alone. He stayed [in Manchester] to do a different type of work. He's going to get together with the team when we arrive [back in Manchester]. And start from there. When I feel it is the right moment, we will start with some minutes in the games."

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.