Barcelona dressing room ‘left unimpressed at Marcus Rashford pursuit with three key stars speaking out against transfer’

BARCELONA'S pursuit of Marcus Rashford has reportedly sparked revolt in the Nou Camp dressing room. The Spanish giants spent the January transfer window weighing up a swoop for the Manchester United outcast. A sensational loan deal was potentially on the cards - with the player himself said to be keen. However, Rashford's £325,000-a-week wages proved a stumbling block - especially as United wanted Barca to cover 70 per cent.

The forward ended up joining Aston Villa until the end of the season - with the option of a £40million permanent summer move. But now Catalunya Radio via Sport in Spain claim even the talks over signing Rashford led to unrest among the existing players. And three key stars allegedly spoke out against the transfer. It is stated Barcelona needed to let both Ansu Fati and Andreas Christensen leave in January to free up the necessary wages to make a Rashford deal financially viable.

However, both men are said to have flat-out refused to exit. And pals Pedri, Gavi and Ronald Araujo all reportedly stood up to the club to make their feelings known. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS. The trio are three of Hansi Flick's most important players in a team going strong in LaLiga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. And all three signed new contracts in the last few days of the transfer window.

So it seems the trio used their bargaining power to voice their concerns as they agreed their long-term futures to Barcelona, who are currently playing home matches at the Olympic Stadium while the Nou Camp is renovated. The report suggests Pedri, Gavi and Araujo did not believe signing Rashford was a suitable option given the players already in the team, the club's ethos with its homegrown talent and the cost of the deal - which would see them force out two members of the squad.

And it appears Deco and the Barca hierarchy listened to their players as they backed out of the deal. The likes of Borussia Dortmund, Monaco and AC Milan were also linked with Rashford over the course of the January transfer window. But Rashford said it was an "easy" decision to join Villa, where he will play Champions League football again. And he is keen to make an early impression on his new boss Unai Emery.

Rashford insisted on training on his first day off and has already started looking at accommodation in the West Midlands as he refuses to commute from Manchester. Villa insiders say the man who left Old Trafford under a cloud has got the bit firmly between his teeth and is ready to kickstart his career under Emery. Rashford - who has taken Jhon Duran's old No9 shirt - could make his debut for Villa in the FA Cup at home to Tottenham on Sunday.