Aston Villa have surprisingly joined the market for Marcus Rashford and will look to explore a loan deal for the Manchester United forward. Villa have drawn up a shortlist of potential signings following Jhon Durán’s departure for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, with Paris St-Germain’s Marco Asensio high among their targets and Chelsea’s João Félix also considered.

But Rashford, 27, is now being looked at as a player of interest after his exile at United where Ruben Amorim has not selected him since December 12 for not reaching the required standards, with the head coach only picking players “giving the maximum every day”.

Villa are open to exploring the deal but have not determined whether Rashford is willing to move to Villa Park, or what United’s stance will be on the terms of a six-month loan.

It is understood that Rashford’s preferred destination is Barcelona but the Catalan giants need players to leave before bringing in signings, making the chances of a deal look remote at this stage of the window.

Asensio, 29, is one of Villa manager Unai Emery’s top choices for a loan and is available over the final three days of the window, while Félix is among the players Chelsea would consider for departure. It is believed that Villa are only looking at loans at this stage, rather than permanent deals.

They have also been linked with Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel, 19, who has a host of Premier League clubs chasing him. Tottenham Hotspur were strongly considering the teenager but he is likely to look at other clubs rather than join Ange Postecoglou’s squad.

Rashford’s future is expected to dominate the final weekend of the window, with Amorim suggesting he would rather pick his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach than a player who does not fit into “the way I see [what] a footballer should do in life”. Borussia Dortmund and Monaco have also shown interest.

Villa director of football Monchi confirmed interest in Asensio and Félix to Spanish platforms Cadena Ser El Larguero and Cadena Cope. “Regarding the names we are considering and the profile Unai is looking for, they [Félix and Asensio] are similar players and are to Unai’s liking,” Monchi said.