Aston Villa are working on a deal this weekend that would see Marcus Rashford join the club on loan from Manchester United for the remainder of the season.

In a turn of events nobody could have foreseen, Rashford would not only head to Villa but stay in England. Since falling out of Ruben Amorim's Man United squad in mid-December then subsequently announcing his intentions to leave his boyhood club, it was a move to one of Europe's other top leagues that seemed most likely.

AC Milan, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund - even the Turkish Super Lig - but two days out from deadline day the 27-year-old has failed to secure his future elsewhere. Now that Villa have come calling, there has been a surprising answer to help this saga advance quickly in such a short space of time.

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Here, MEN Sport rounds up the latest understanding of the transfer from our colleagues at Birmingham Live.

Rashford stance on Villa loan

'Significant progress has been made in talks between the two clubs in the last 24 hours, while Rashford is also understood to be open to the move,' is how BirminghamLive reported Rashford's stance on a move to Villa on Saturday.

As it has been from the start, his desire has simply been to leave Man United - a feeling maybe reinforced the longer the attacker has had to watch his team from the stands at Old Trafford.

In December, Rashford told Henry Winter: "For me, personally, I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps.

"When I leave it's going to be ‘no hard feelings’. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person. "If I know that a situation is already bad I'm not going to make it worse. I've seen how other players have left in the past and I don't want to be that person. When I leave I'll make a statement and it will be from me."

Potential next clubs

Rashford reportedly earns a big salary at Old Trafford and this will certainly have been a factor when it comes to a move. Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona looked most likely to sign Rashford as well as AC Milan, though their case was unique, as when they signed Kyle Walker from Manchester City on loan they used up their allocation on non-EU players allowed at the club.

Villa are in a stronger position financially have secured almost £100m in player sales this January. The reason this next deal is happening is because Jhon Duran moved to Al-Nassr this week, meaning Unai Emery needs a replacement.

And the £64m that came of that transfer will help pay the majority of Rashford's wages, with Man United covering the rest.

Permanent transfer

Rashford would initially move on loan to Villa Park, providing all goes well. The inclusion of a purchase option has been part of the negotiations.

But it is unknown as of yet if one will be included in the finalised deal, how much that would be and if Rashford would want a permanent move. His Transfermarkt current market value stands at £45.9m.