Huge Barcelona uproar over planned transfer as trio speak out to BLOCK move

Reports in Spain have revealed the unsavoury conflict of interest that threatened to tear Barcelona’s dressing room apart over their plan to sign Marcus Rashford in the winter window and with three players all speaking out to oppose his planned move from Manchester United.

The 27-year-old had been headline news for much of the January window having fallen out with Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim over his poor application in training and with the player not pulling on a first-team shirt since the December 12 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League. And with the club making clear they would not stand in his way of leaving the club in the winter, where the 60-cap England player would end up next remained one of the more intriguing tales of the window.

While his brother and agent, Dwaine Maynard, held talks with several of European football’s biggest clubs, a move ultimately came down to two clubs: Barcelona and Aston Villa.

Our sources had made clear in no uncertain terms that Barcelona were very much Rashford‘s preference with a move to LaLiga his top priority once he had made clear his wish to leave Old Trafford.

However, despite the prospective move being given the green light from both president Joan Laporta and coach Hansi Flick, Barcelona were unable to finance the deal, largely owing to the fact that the LaLiga giants could not free up funds by offloading the likes of winger Ansu Fati first.

Now, however, a more sinister reason has emerged for why the move actually broke down in the Spanish media amid claims that several Barcelona stars spoke out to club officials to strongly voice their opposition to their pursuit of the 27-year-old striker.

Per El Nacional, three of those players were influential youngsters Gavi, Fermin Lopez and Pedri -all of whom had reservations both over the costs involved in financing a deal and the implications that would have both on the squad and with their teammate, Ferran Torres, likely to be the fall-guy off the back of his capture.

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Amorim explains Rashford departure with Villa debut planned

And while Barcelona would have pushed through the move had they been able to finance it, it very much sounds like the move could have caused major ructions in their dressing room had the deal been pushed through.

The news, though, does not bode well for Rashford and our understanding that he still plans to use his time at Villa Park as a stepping stone for another move – and with a move to the Nou Camp very much still on his agenda.

As part of the move, Aston Villa will cover a minumum 75% of his wages – and that figure could rise to 90% dependent on his success under Unai Emery. Furthermore, Villa also secured an option to make the move permanent for £40m – though that move could still fail to get over the line if the player himself is opposed to it.

Either way, Rashford will spend at least the next four months at Villa Park and all eyes will be on him to see how he fares under Emery.

His debut for the club could even come on Sunday when Villa host Tottenham in the FA Cup fourth round.

In the meantime, Amorim has admitted a move away from United was in everyone’s best interests.

“I couldn’t get Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,” Amorim said.

“Sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different.

“I wish the best to Rashford and to [Villa manager] Unai Emery, and they can connect because he’s a very good player.”

When asked whether Rashford told him he disagreed with his ideas about football, Amorim answered: “You know, like me, that it’s not the way that occurs.

“It’s something that you feel as a coach and as a player. It’s quite normal. It happened with a lot of coaches.

“The important thing is that I’m here saying that was my decision, like Ty [Malacia] and Antony was my decision to do these loans, and to keep some players even without any transfers.”

How Rashford can fit in at Villa

Emery was a major influence in Villa’s move for Rashford, believing the player is, on his day, one of European football’s elite stars and having the capacity to return to his best under his tutorship at Villa Park.

“I think he has huge potential to exploit,” Emery told a press conference this week.

“I don’t want to know the reason he is leaving Manchester but I am very happy keeping him here and try to exploit and recover his performances. My challenge with him is a huge challenge.”

In the meantime, we have taken a look at how Villa could utilise Rashford and all their other January signings in their side. And it’s safe to say Emery now has one of the deepest and most strong squads in the entirity of the Premier League at his disposal.

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