Aston Villa have seen a £26m bid accepted to sign the England star

Aston Villa are expected to be in the market to improve their squad ahead of their Champions League campaign after winning the Europa League this season.

Unai Emery will want his side to compete in Europe’s biggest competition without it affecting their Premier League form, meaning they may need to strengthen their depth.

One player who has already been linked with a move to the Europa League champions is Bologna striker Jonathan Rowe, who scored against the Villans in the Italian club earlier this year.

The club are reportedly in talks to sign the England U21 international to strengthen their options in wide areas when the summer transfer window opens.

Bologna are reportedly seeking a fee in the region of £35m to allow the England midfielder to leave the club, but it remains to be seen whether Villa are prepared to pay that price.

Aston Villa are eyeing a deal to sign the England international

Rowe, who scored against the Villans in the Europa League in April, is unproven in the Premier League and would be a risky signing at such a transfer fee.

Meanwhile, the club are reportedly looking at another England player who is available at a lower price, while he is more visible at the top level.

According to Thursday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo, as relayed by Sports Witness, Aston Villa is one of the clubs interested in signing Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.

The report claims the Red Devils are ‘hopeful’ Villa can meet the £26m asking price for the England international’s head, suggesting a bid £9m less than Bologna’s demand for Rowe will be accepted.

They are not the only club in the race for the left winger, however, as Tottenham Hotspur are also keen on his services, despite not having European football to offer him.

Barcelona have yet to exercise their £26m option to sign him permanently, after spending the 2025/26 campaign on loan at Camp Nou, and their indecision has opened the door for Villa to potentially make a move to bring him back to the club for a second time.

Why Aston Villa should sign Marcus Rashford over Jonathan Rowe

The Villans should push to sign Rashford to fill the slot on the left wing ahead of Rowe, as he would be the best option for Emery in the mid-term.

In the 2025/26 campaign, the Bologna striker recorded a return of eight goals and four assists in 44 appearances in all competitions, including four goals and two assists in 12 Europa League games.

Rashford, on the other hand, produced 14 goals and 11 assists in 49 games for Barcelona while on loan at the Camp Nou from Manchester United, while both played on the left side.

At league level, the United loanee has fared better than Rowe as a goalscorer and creator, while both played in Europe’s biggest leagues, suggesting he could be a more viable option for Emery next season.

The 28-year-old, who scored four goals and provided six assists in 17 appearances on loan at Villa, is also having an experienced Premier League campaign, with 89 goals and 53 assists in 297 appearances in this division.

Rowe, on the other hand, has zero goals and one assist in 13 Premier League games so far in his career, which came while at Norwich City in the 2021/22 campaign, as they were relegated from the top flight.

Therefore, Rashford will arrive at Villa Park with little risk to himself as he will join for a lower price, with better form this season and a proven Premier League talent.

The £26m star is expected to start for England at the World Cup under Thomas Tuchel this summer, after starting four of Germany’s seven qualifiers, while Rowe did not feature in the squad.

Therefore, the Three Lions boss also sees Rashford as a better left-back option than Rowe, which is another reason why Emery is pushing the club to do a deal for the United striker for the former Norwich man in the summer transfer window.