Perfect Man Utd & Marcus Rashford Premier League swap deal has just fallen into Ruben Amorim's lap - opinion

Fresh reports have emerged in recent days that Crystal Palace have expressed a strong interest in signing Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford in the upcoming summer window.

It comes from a claim made by Sun Sport, who had an unnamed source tell them: “Palace are keeping a very close eye on Rashford and what happens with Villa and United. There is a good buzz around the club at the moment and someone like Marcus is exactly the kind of player they would love to attract.”

Rashford came through the ranks at Carrington and was introduced to the first team during Louis van Gaal’s final season in 2015/16. He has spent the best part of a decade in the first team at Old Trafford and is the 13th highest scoring player in the club’s history and the eighth most prolific goalscorer for the team in the Premier League era.

He’s a fan favourite and had been a regular under several managers including Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Ragnick and Eric ten Hag. He notably scored the first goal of the Ruben Amorim era and fired home a brace during a 4-0 win over Everton shortly after.

However, in the run up to the Manchester derby in December, Rashford was dropped entirely from the United set up and would not play again under the Portuguese coach before eventually being loaned out to Aston Villa.

Crystal Palace plot move for Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford has a £40m option to buy clause included in his loan at Villa Park. He’s scored three goals and registered five assists in 15 appearances and has recently been in fine form as both a striker and as a right winger under Unai Emery. However, the one stumbling block could be the winger’s reported £315,000 per week wage, which may not be feasible for Villa if they want to invest in other areas this summer.

If Villa choose not to sign Rashford, it’s expected that Crystal Palace will intensify their efforts to sign the England international, who is clearly not a part of the plan under Amorim. There has not been an indication about whether Villa are considering paying the £40m release clause for Rashford, however, the manager has expressed his excitement about the forward’s qualities since he moved to the Midlands in January.

Emery told Sky Sports after signing Rashford: “I think his potential is huge potential to exploit. I am very happy to try to exploit and help him recover his performances, individually and collectively. My challenge with him is huge. His challenge with us is exciting.”

The intriguing swap deal Ruben Amorim could look to strike

The Red Devils are expected to be busy this summer as they look to back Ruben Amorim with the signings that can mould perfectly into his 3421 system. One player that is thought to be high on United’s radar is Palace star Eberechi Eze, who primarily plays as a central attacking midfielder despite having the qualities to play on either wing.

Eze is blessed with great feet, dribbling ability, pace and excellent creative qualities which could unlock the goalscoring capabilities of those around him if he was to move to Old Trafford. Sports Mole is just one of a number of outlets reporting of United’s long-standing interest for Eze, who is believed to be worth around £60m.

Given United’s reported interest in Eze, Rashford could be used as a valuable bargaining chip in their efforts to sign Eze this summer. Eze has three goals and eight assists in the league this season, meanwhile Rashford has five goals and three assists combined across the campaign. United are on the hunt for a new striker as well as an attacker who can play in behind the number nine, a mould that Eze fits.

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