After being sidelined for nearly two months, the Marcus Rashford saga looks to have finally concluded and the boyhood Manchester United fan and youth product turned first-team talisman looks set to be leaving on loan.
Having worn the red of Man United for more than two decades, going from a young boy signed to the youth academy at just seven to becoming a first-team start and Old Trafford’s number 10, Rashford looked destined to be a one-club man.
Nevertheless, after an evident rift with the new manager Ruben Amorim, it appears as though the Manchester-born winger has made his decision and will leave United in a somewhat surprising loan deal to a fellow Premier League competitor.
After emerging as an interested party late in the January window, Aston Villa have seemingly secured the services of Rashford loan until the end of the season, but this could also mean the door to a permanent exit opening.
🚨🟣🔵 Marcus Rashford to Aston Villa, here we go!
Agreement in place on loan deal with over 70% salary covered by Villa.
Buy option clause worth £40m also included in contract with potential three year and half deal to follow.
Being given the ‘here we go!’ seal of approval by reliable transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Rashford now has an official medical booked for Sunday, 2 February to seal the deal before the deadline.
ADVERTISEMENT
As detailed by Romano, while the switch is only on loan at present, it is believed that an option to buy clause has been included, with various reports valuing the transfer around £40-45 million.
One of the obstacles in resolving Rashford’s situation in the event of his departure has always been his salary as the club’s second-highest earner on around £300,000 a week.
ADVERTISEMENT
However, Villa are set to cover over 70% of his wages with the understanding that a three-and-a-half-year permanent contract could be agreed following the initial loan.
Amorim has reiterated that his side, overall, is a better outfit with talents like Rashford in it but there has clearly been an issue regarding effort and application in training, telling media “he has to change” to be a part of his team.
🗣️ "He has to change"
Ruben Amorim discusses the situation with Marcus Rashford if he does not secure a move away from Manchester United 🔴 pic.twitter.com/2mxueRKiT6
With the likes of Alejandro Garnacho having also looked to be on the verge of potentially leaving the club after both he and Rashford were first dropped as a duo, the youngster has instead manager to work his way back into matchday squads and notched an assist in United’s last game in the Europa League.
ADVERTISEMENT
That being said, although it looks like Garnacho might now stay at Old Trafford and has clearly come to a resolution with his coach, many supporters are still in disbelief at how Rashford’s relationship with Amorim has broken down so quickly.
Having scored 138 goals and registered 63 assists across 426 appearances for the club in just under 10 years as a senior star following his breakthrough season in 2015/16, Rashford in red is all he and the fans have ever known.
A school note of his that has surfaced online says it all:
Marcus Rashford's note from when he was in school…
The 2027 World Climbing Series is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
In yet more huge sporting news for Greater Manchester, the 2027 World Climbing Series is coming to 0161 later this year.
We’ve had plenty of big peaks of late, but things seem to just keep going up and up.
Set to host the global event for the first time in our history, Manchester will welcome the World Climbing Series (WCS), which is set to include both Olympic and Paralympic disciplines ahead of the next Summer Games in 2028.
2027 will mark the 38th edition of the series, which will also be one of only a handful to be held in the North – it’s just down to our city to make it the best.
Officially announced on Friday, 16 January, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) confirmed the return to the UK.
Founded back in 1989, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) is coming up on four decades since the competition first began – Leeds being chosen as the inaugural hosts – the event has come a long way since then.
The IFSC’s rebranding of the annual bouldering, lead and speed trials to the modern WSC, which began last year, was initially revealed back in 2023.
Welcoming continental talent right down to the youth level, the upcoming 2026 World Climbing Series is taking place in the summer and will be hosted by the city of Innsbruck in Austria.
As for the WSC’s Manchester debut, which is being organised in collaboration with the City Council, Manchester Accommodation BID, MCR Active and the National Lottery via UK Sport investment.
It’s not the only big sporting celebration that the Council will be supporting in 2027.
Paul Ratcliffe, CEO of the British Mountaineering Council, said in an official statement: “It’s exciting to be able to confirm that a World Series climbing event will return to the UK in 2027 as part of the BMC’s major event programme.
“Hosting a competition of this scale in Manchester is a strong statement about the UK’s place on the international climbing stage and a great opportunity for our athletes, fans, the climbing community and the wider public to experience the sport at the very highest level.
“Our ‘Route to Adventure’ strategy sets out how we will build on moments like this to support people into climbing and help them progress, whatever their starting point. Using major events to inspire participation, strengthen pathways and reinforce our commitment to inclusion is central to our long-term approach.”
Scheduled to take place in June, you can find out more information about the 2027 World Climbing Series in Manchester by signing up for the official event mailing list HERE.
Manchester City agree deal to sign top Premier League defender Marc Guehi
Danny Jones
It looks like they’ve finally got a done deal: Manchester City have reportedly agreed a deal for the transfer of highly sought-after defender Marc Guehi.
Man City are said to have finally reached an agreement with Crystal Palace to sign the increasingly established Three Lions star after emerging as a suitor in recent weeks.
Pep Guardiola’s pursuit of the impressive Premier League centre-back ramped up earlier this month, as it became apparent that they were hoping to hijack Liverpool’s prospective move for Guehi.
The Ivory Coast-born England international looked all set to arrive at Anfield back in the summer, but the deal never materialised, and now rivals City appear to have sealed his signature.
According to breaking transfer news specialist Fabrizio Romano, Palace and Man City are said to have now reached an agreement in principle for approximately £20 million.
It’s fair to say that it’s an absolute bargain for a player of his quality.
While details surrounding contract length, wages and add-ons, etc., are yet to be fully confirmed (as is final verification as per an official announcement via his new employers), personal terms are not expected to be an issue.
On the other hand, the acquisition will also see Man City’s total spending to roughly half a billion pounds over the past year alone. Staggering sums for any sporting outfit.
Not that his former London team will mind one bit, of course, as it became increasingly clear that Guehi would be leaving eventually; manager Oliver Glasner – who also seems set to depart at the end of his contract – even addressed the sale in his most recent press conference.
You can see the clip in question down below.
''I wish him all the best for the rest of his career, he will have a great career I think''
Once again, we will have to wait for the official unveiling at the Etihad Campus, but we’d say that this interview is all the verification you need.
With Man City currently facing multiple absences, particularly in their backline with both Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias out injured, Guehi’s arrival is no doubt a welcome one.
Although many debated whether or not Pep needed to sign another centre-half, especially with two promising youth players returning from loan, supporters will nevertheless be glad to have snatched him from the clutches of Liverpool.
Over in the women’s team, they’ve also brought in a new member of the squad who could help spur on their title charge.
Danny Jones -
2nd February 2025 
