Manchester United outcast Marcus Rashford has reportedly opened the door to joining Juventus if his dream transfer to Barcelona falls through.
Over a month on from his bombshell admission that he was ready to explore a new challenge away from Old Trafford, Rashford is yet to secure his desired move to a different club.
The England international remains in Ruben Amorim's bad books for the time being, having not earned any minutes in any competition since Man United's 2-1 Europa League win over Viktoria Plzen on December 12.
Rashford was again left out of the squad for Thursday's triumph over Rangers, and Amorim was once again coy on the attacker's immediate future when inevitably questioned in his press conference.
"I don't know, I really don't know. Guys, it's 10 days. We will see in the end of the window what happened. And then we will talk about that in the moment," the 39-year-old replied.
Juventus 'only option' for Rashford loan?
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With under two weeks' left to go in the winter transfer window, the strongest interest in Rashford's services is said to be coming from Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona, the latter of which would be his preferred destination.
However, the 27-year-old's mammoth wages - believed to be around £300,000 per week - could scupper a move to Camp Nou, and Man United are expected to block any loan offers from Premier League rivals.
Instead, The Independent - via the Manchester Evening News - now reports that Serie A giants Juventus are the only club with a realistic chance of signing Rashford on a temporary deal for the remainder of the season.
While the Man United youth product still harbours ambitions of representing Barcelona, he would apparently be happy to turn out for Juventus for the remainder of the season before revisiting a switch to Catalonia in the summer.
Since his last appearance for Man United on December 12, Rashford has only made one matchday squad, being an unused substitute in the 2-0 loss to Newcastle United on December 30.
The 27-year-old has amassed a total of 138 goals and 63 assists in 426 matches for Man United, who could potentially be doing Arsenal a favour by allowing Rashford to join Juventus on loan.
Could Rashford exit trigger Dusan Vlahovic move?
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The England international has been linked with a move to the Gunners this month as Mikel Arteta desperately searches for attacking reinforcements, having lost both Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus to serious knee injuries.
Man United's stance over a Premier League loan means that a deal to take him to North London is highly unlikely, but Rashford moving to Turin might boost the Gunners' chances of capturing Dusan Vlahovic.
Juventus have already captured Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, and signing Rashford - who admittedly plays his best football off the left rather than through the middle - could make the Old Lady more receptive to Vlahovic offers.
Arsenal appear no closer to landing any other attacking targets in the January window, but the Vlahovic avenue could be an interesting one to explore if Rashford ends up in black and white.
Ben Knapton
