Marcus Rashford transfer saga almost sparked locker room riot – report | OneFootball

The long and gruelling Marcus Rashford saga cast a big shadow over Carrington, but it also hit Barcelona by storm.

The Manchester United academy product suddenly found himself an outcast at Ruben Amorim’s court after failing to impress the manager in training. After being omitted from his plans for 12 straight matches in all competitions, the striker’s departure was inevitable.

The 27-year-old was linked with several clubs, but in the end, Aston Villa was the one who made the concrete approach to sign him. Hence, the England international sealed a move to the Villains on the final days of the winter transfer market.

Rashford expressed his delight to join Unai Emery’s court after signing his contract, however, it is well known he was daydreaming of a Barcelona transfer. Moreover, the interest was mutual, as Hansi Flick and the Blaugrana management were also hoping to lure the player to Camp Nou.

Nevertheless, the Catalans’ Financial Fair Play troubles prevented them from pulling off the operation, as they had to find him a spot on their tight wage bill.

But according to Barca Reservat (via Foot Mercato), signing Rashford would have sparked a major uproar in Barcelona’s dressing room.

Barcelona stalwarts weren’t ready to welcome Marcus Rashford

(Photo via Aston Villa)

As the source explains, the Blaugrana squad was wholly against the arrival of the Englishman who would have commanded an enormous salary, while the club was already struggling to pin down some of the current team pillars with new deals.

Hence, the likes of Ronald Araujo, Gavi and Pedri have finally ended up signing new contracts in recent days after months of delay. However, these deals would have probably been further postponed had Barca insisted on securing Rashford in January.

The 27-year-old is currently on loan at Aston Villa who also acquired the option to buy him at the end of the season for £40 million.