Marcus Rashford suffers huge Nike sponsorship blow after loan move to Aston Villa | OneFootball

Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford is reportedly set to suffer a huge financial hit on his sponsorship deal with Nike, following his move to Aston Villa.

On Sunday evening, it was officially confirmed that Rashford had completed a temporary switch to the Villains.

He will spend the rest of the season at Villa Park under Unai Emery, as he seeks to revive his fortunes on the pitch and return to his sensational best.

While at Villa, Rashford will continue to net his wages, believed to be in excess of £300,000-a-week. Villa will cover around three-quarters of this sum.

However, according to the Daily Mail, Rashford will be forced to “take a hit on his lucrative sponsorship” with athletic footwear and apparel brand Nike.

Rashford’s deal with Nike was signed in 2021, making him part of a group of elite footballers to represent the company alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne.

The newspaper reports, “Confidential understands a Nike client like Rashford can earn in excess of £1.5million-a-year including bonuses, but that figure can drop to £50,000 at the lowest end of the scale.”

“And while Villa are paying a minimum of 75 per cent of Rashford’s salary – rising to 90 per cent based on him helping the Midlands club progress in the Champions League or qualify for Europe next season – there is no such protection on the Nike contract.”

“They are structured according to different categories of clubs, with a 50 per cent reduction in pay between each category. United were a Category A club when Rashford signed his deal and he is moving into a lower band by going on loan to Villa.”

The report further states, “It is understood that Nike are entitled to reduce his basic wage and have the power to request repayment of some of the signing-on fee they paid him four years ago.”

As the Daily Mail point out, this setback could explain why Rashford had earmarked La Liga giants Barcelona as his preferred transfer destination.

Rashford will get the chance to make his Villa debut on Sunday when they take on Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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