Manchester United may try and tempt Aston Villa into a “swap deal” involving Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins, according to reports.

Rashford has impressed during his loan spell at Villa Park and the Midlands club do have the option of signing him for £40m at the end of the season.

However, the Daily Star claim that an alternative arrangement could be proposed by the Red Devils, who are keen on landing a player of Watkins’s experience.

The English tabloid suggests that Ruben Amorim’s side could be willing to offer Rashford as well as a “significant cash payment” for the 29-year-old.

Watkins has been pursued by other Premier League teams

It is believed that Arsenal tabled an offer of around £40m for the England striker during the January transfer window.

The bid was rebuffed by Villa at the time, who weren’t willing to offload Watkins, having just sold their other No.9 Jhon Duran to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.

There is a chance, though, that the Villans’ stance may change this summer as they would have more time to replace Watkins.

Man United are looking at other strikers

Watkins is by no means the only forward that the Red Devils are looking at. The club are known to be big fans of Ipswich’s Liam Delap and several respected sources expect them to trigger the former Manchester City player’s £30m release clause.

However, with Chelsea also in the mix, there is still a danger that United will miss out on the 22-year-old so technical director Jason Wilcox and his recruitment team need to ensure that alternatives are lined up.

Wolves’ Matheus Cunha is said to be on the club’s radar too, along with RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko (who is a long-term target).

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