There is seemingly a belief that a Marcus Rashford stay at Aston Villa is not possible due to the desire of Barcelona to add the England international. The La Liga side is, however, also known to be interested in Luis Díaz.
Naturally, no one expects for Barcelona to be in line to acquire both attackers, so they are left with a choice when it comes to potentially supplementing Hansi Flick's squad options. The price tag on Díaz is considerably higher.
Part of the reason for the lesser value of Rashford at the moment is due to his relationship with his parent club, Manchester United. Even so, it makes sense for a potential move to Spain to be contingent on if Díaz ends up making the move first.
Even so, as things stand at the moment, there does not appear to be too much demand for Rashford. It is certain that he will not be playing for Ruben Amorim again. This puts all parties in something of a difficult position.
Regardless of how others evaluate Rashford, he is entering the prime of his career and has shown an ability to contribute and play at a high level. This opens up the possibility of the English player returning to B6 on a second loan stint.
Rashford simply cannot play at United again. That is not an option. If Barcelona ends up moving forward with Díaz, it simply appears like there are not any other suitors in line to meet the current asking price.
For Rashford's parent club, they could explore further lowering the price. They will still want to grab the most value that they can.
Analyzing Aston Villa potential
A solution for everyone could be to push out a permanent fix until a later date. If Rashford returns to Villa and continues to raise his stock while on loan under Unai Emery, then the ensuing 2026 transfer market could see more teams potentially interested.
It would at least provide a better opportunity for others to come closer to their current valuation of the player. Villa gets to retain Rashford then for another season but will be able to do so in a more manageable financial aspect.
Maybe it is not the ideal scenario anyone wants, but it could provide some clarity for the time being.