Forget Marcus Rashford - Aston Villa could sign £45m dazzling forward who would suit Emery's system perfectly

Although Aston Villa fell agonisingly short of a second consecutive Champions League qualification, there was still a sense of forward momentum towards the end of the season – the feeling that the club was moving steadily forward, improving and attracting bigger and better players.

It’s hard to imagine that Marcus Rashford or Marco Asensio would have signed for Villa a couple of years ago and their arrival, even on loan, signalled a club which has come a long way. The fact that neither seems likely to sign permanently, however, hints at the work to be done.

Aston Villa have announced that they will not be exercising the £40m purchase option in Rashford’s contract, but given his performances and stature it’s hard to imagine that they are letting him leave entirely choice. Between Rashford’s apparent desire to move abroad and concerns over Villa’s mounting financial losses and PSR compliance, it seems as though a move simply didn’t prove feasible. So what do Villa do now?

Could Ademola Lookman be Aston Villa’s Marcus Rashford alternative?

It’s rather cruel to be given a glimpse of Rashford’s best form only for it to become clear that he wouldn’t be staying – one can almost imagine Jim Bowen gesturing towards the England forward and informing Villa that he was what they could have won.

Rashford, though, seems set on an overseas transfer, rather understandable given the way in which he has been treated by the less classy sections of the British media. A little bit of time out of the spotlight makes sense for everyone except for Villa, for whom Rashford was excellent. Both Bayern Munich and Barcelona seem to be interested, and there are murmurs of Italian offers, too.

Wherever he goes, it won’t be Villa Park. The same may also be true for Asensio, whose agents seem to be shopping him around to other clubs as PSG grow tired of waiting for Villa to make a formal offer.

The club’s financial situation could partly explain their reluctance to make a move, but with a hefty loss from the 2022/23 season now off the books after the end of the latest PSR reporting window they should have a little more freedom moving forward. Perhaps they simply don’t have enough.

Which may explain occasional hints of their interest in Ademola Lookman which have been cropping up in the media, with outlets such as BirminghamLive hinting at the possibility of a bid. It’s a rumour which has bubbled up occasionally through the winter, and given the club’s current situation one that teases a pretty perfect replacement for the lost loan stars of 2024/25.

The £45m winger that might help Aston Villa move on from Rashford and Asensio

Lookman, for his part, is said to be keen to move on after three successful seasons with Atalanta which included scoring a hat-trick in the 2024 Europa League final, while his club are prepared to let him go for the right price – although it’s not yet fully clear how close to his €55m (£44.5m) release clause a club might need to get.

If Villa’s motivation for skipping on a permanent deal for Rashford was financial and not solely a reflection of the player’s own wishes, then that price tag may prove to steep, but the chances as are that there is enough funding available for one or two substantive transfer this summer.

There have also been whispers of interest from Arsenal, which could put a dampener on things, but the Gunners seem to be prioritising Eberechi Eze as is stands instead. Villa could have clear path forward to a player who can operate on the left wing, as a number ten or as a centre-forward.

Indeed, between his positional versatility, his excellent dribbling, his off-ball movement and pace and his hugely impressive finishing (he has scored 39 Serie A goals from just 28.5xG since joining Atalanta), he actually covers just about everything that Rashford and Asensio brought to Villa Park at the same time. The only downside is that Villa can’t sign two Lookmans at the same time.

The 27-year-old is a far cry from the flaky and inconsistent player who struggled to live up to early hype at Everton and who never quite convinced during loan spells at Fulham and Leicester City – now, he’s found his cutting edge and both scores and provides goals in volume while offering a team a direct and dangerous route to goal whether on or off the ball.

For a team that play with Villa’s directness and urgency, Lookman seems like a natural fit, and one who can cover a large part of the hole left in the squad by Rashford and Asensio’s absence.

The question now is whether the rumours of their interest, which are yet to be backed up by a major media outlet, are true – and if so, whether they are in a position to get a deal done. If they can, though, then the loss of Rashford and Asensio may not prove to be so painful after all.