Aston Villa will not be signing Marcus Rashford on a permanent deal this summer.
The 27-year-old England striker enjoyed somewhat of a career rejuvenation at Villa Park following his loan move from Manchester United in the January transfer window.
In 17 appearances for Villa across all competitions, Rashford netted four goals - including a brace in the FA Cup quarter-final win over Preston - and weighed in with a further six assists.
Arguably his best performance came during the second half of Villa's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, where Unai Emery's side fell just short of one of the great comebacks, winning 3-2 on the night but losing 5-4 on aggregate.
Speaking after the game, Emery said says nothing had been decided regarding Rashford's future.
"It (signing him in the summer) is difficult to plan now," the Spaniard said. "He's feeling comfortable and better. (On Tuesday) he played a fantastic match.
"If he's happy, we are happy. Then, of course, it depends on the circumstances and what happens in the next weeks, and (what we have) in the next year as well."
Fast forward a couple of months and a decision has been made with Rashford heading back to Man United as Villa have not exercised the option to turn the loan into a permanent deal for £40m.
Confirming several departures on Monday, a statement reads: “Aston Villa would like to thank Robin Olsen and Kortney Hause following the expiration of their contracts, as well as our loan players as they return to their respective parent clubs.
“Marco Asensio, Marcus Rashford and Axel Disasi each joined Villa in February on loan deals until the end of the 2024/25 season.
“Everyone at Aston Villa would like to thank each of the players for their efforts and amazing commitment to the club and wish them all the very best for the future.”
Had Villa opted to sign Rashford, the transfer fee of £40m would have provided Man Utd a key boost with regards to their own ambitions to overhaul Ruben Amorim’s underperforming squad this summer.
Rashford appears to have no future at Old Trafford under Amorim, having been frozen out last season and continues to be linked with a move to Barcelona.
