MARCUS Rashford’s dream-home build has been hit by delays which could cost him £15million.
The England football ace is investigating why the former golf course and clubhouse, which he bought in bought in 2020 for £2.25million, is nowhere near finished after five years.
The 63-acre site became overgrown as work ground to a halt amid a rumoured dispute over money.
The Manchester United forward, currently on loan at Barcelona, has instructed his finance team to find out what has gone wrong and when it will be finished.
A source said: “Marcus has spent millions on it already but faces spending millions more.
“There was a dispute in the summer.
“Work has recently started again but there’s slow progress.
He’s between a rock and a hard place as he can’t just stop and leave it. He just wants to get it finished.
Source
“It’s all about the money.
“Marcus fears the house isn’t ever going to be worth anywhere near what he’s put into it.
“But he’s between a rock and a hard place as he can’t just stop and leave it.
“He just wants to get it finished.”
Rashford wanted to make his forever home at the clubhouse and former nine-hole golf course, set in the Cheshire countryside.
Plans were drawn up for the clubhouse to be demolished and replaced with a stunning five-bedroom mansion complete with indoor swimming pool, gym, games room and chill-out area.
There would be a separate apartment in the grounds, with landscaped gardens, and welfare plans for bats, birds, hedgehogs and newts on the former green-belt site.
However the project has been hit by floods along with rising costs after the original plans changed.
The slow progress has also sparked concern among Rashford’s neighbours, who say weeds growing on the site are dangerous.
Roy Baker, 80, who owns a farm next to the property, said he was visited by a man “acting on behalf of Marcus Rashford and his family a few weeks ago”.
He told The Sun: “He said he deals with land disputes.
“There’s a dispute about how much money they’ve paid out.
“He was asking us questions about the contractors.
“I told him what I knew and what I’d seen.
“He told me how much they had spent — it’s in the millions.”
The exterior of the home has been completed, with two underground floors.
But Mr Baker, who has lived there for 42 years, said it “has been built at the lowest point” — adding: “His house is right where it’s boggy.
“We have a cellar and up until 2014 it was dry as a bone but now we have a pump to keep the water out because the water table is so high.
“So you can imagine next door going two floors down.
“It’s non-stop pumping out.”
‘All sorts of rumours’
He also highlighted the “staggering” costs involved.
He said: “The amount of heavy machines on there has been unbelievable.
“But there’s no sign of a finished article.
“No one knows what’s going to happen to it.
“There are all sorts of rumours but I’ve never even seen Rashford here.
“The costs involved are staggering, even for someone on £350,000 a week.
“We never objected to the planning.
“We did complain to the site manager once because you get lots of weeds.
Our concern is that if the land isn’t maintained you end up with ragwort, broad-leaf dock and creeping thistle. which are weeds.
Farmer Roy Baker
“Then when the weeds seed they blow towards us.
“One particular weed is poisonous to our horses — ragwort.”
Rashford is understood to have been told that managing the land would cost £1million a year alone.
Another nearby farmer said: “It’s not his fault that this has happened.
“There must come a time when he questioned how much money was going out.
“His building agent has visited us quite a few times.
“There’s still a lot of earth on the site which needs moving.
PAD’S £14k RENTAL
Exclusive by Ryan Parry
MARCUS Rashford has put his luxury mansion up for rent at £14,000 a month — as pals say the Manchester United outcast is loving life out in Barcelona.
The forward, 27, is at the La Liga club on a season-long loan.
Would-be renters also face a £16,000 deposit for the five-bed pad in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
A source said the England star has settled in well in Spain. They said: “Marcus has told his mates that moving to Barcelona is like a breath of fresh air.
“He absolutely loves it out there and everything about it.
“He likes the pace of life and despite Barca being one of the biggest clubs in the world, he feels more anonymous there than he did in Manchester.”
“Our concern is that if the land isn’t maintained you end up with ragwort, broad-leaf dock and creeping thistle, which are weeds.
“We’re totally organic and these weeds completely take over.”
Ben Smith, MD of Noble Projects which is building the house, told The Sun: “We have a long record of undertaking multiple successful, prestige projects for a diverse range of clients.
“We are a highly professional business and we always respect the confidentiality of our clients.
“As such, we do not discuss publicly the details of any projects.
“We can advise that we have no concerns over the quality of our work or other such matters on any of our sites.
“We are proud to deliver exceptional work levels and we continue to do so.”
A spokesperson for Rashford denied the project faced any issues.
The local councils were approached for comment.
