Marcus Rashford return clause 'truth' emerges as Man United 'consider' January transfer

The latest Manchester United transfer news including updates on Emi Martinez and Marcus Rashford's loan at Barcelona.

Manchester United are back in action this weekend with the first Manchester derby of the season. United meet Manchester City on Sunday afternoon looking to make it two wins from two.

Ruben Amorim's team defeated Burnley before September's international break and, after spending time on the training field over the course of the last two weeks, the focus is on causing another upset at the Etihad Stadium.

With Andre Onana now out of the club and Senne Lammens in, eyes were on who Amorim would select in goal. However, the Portuguese has confirmed that Altay Bayindir will retain his spot between the posts.

Despite domestic football returning, transfer talk remains. So, with that in mind, The Manchester Evening News brings you the latest news and rumours;

Martinez January move

On the subject of goalkeepers, United will reportedly consider making another move for Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez when the market reopens in January.

United explored conditions to sign the Argentine stopper this summer - but opted to pursue Senne Lammens. However, reports from Europe have claimed that Martinez's situation when the window reopens if the Belgian struggles to cement his place.

Martinez is expected to return as Villa's number one goalkeeper.

The Manchester Evening News says: "United's decision not to pursue Martinez this summer and - in turn - bring Lammens in was a shock for many. The Belgian is unproven and whether he will be good enough to be the No.1 at Old Trafford remains unclear.

"However, it was suggested that the reason Martinez wasn't signed because of his wages. In January, that isn't going to change much and the priority for Amorim will be focusing on a new midfielder."

Rashford claim denied

Rashford's failure to score or assist in his first three La Liga games at Barcelona has led to some outlets claiming that the Spanish side were considering cancelling his loan from United.

However, Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has denied these claims. He put on X (formerly Twitter): "Absolutely rubbish that Barcelona is planning to end up early Marcus Rashford loan deal.

"Barca told his representatives that they have a lot of confidence in Rashford's potential and they believe he will recover as a top player. No more to say, apart from the fact I agree with Gary Lineker and his treatment by some media."

The Manchester Evening News says: "Rashford's 'slow' start in Spain was always going to be on the receiving end of some sort of outrageous claims. Hansi Flick's men have won two of their three games and have looked decent in every game.

"Barca are competing on all fronts this season - and Rashford is expected to play a big part in all competitions. It's still expected that he'll secure a permanent switch at the end of the season."

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