Rowe and Rabiot brutal brawl details emerge as Serie A clubs hover

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA - JUNE 28: Jonathan Rowe of England celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2025 Final match between England and Germany at National Football stadium on June 28, 2025 in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Photo by Christian Hofer/Getty Images)

With Jonathan Rowe reportedly close to Bologna and Adrien Rabiot wanted by several Serie A sides, more shocking details are emerging on the brawl that saw them kicked out of Olympique Marseille.

The two players were involved in an altercation in the dressing room straight after the surprise Ligue 1 opening defeat of the season.

A few days later, a formal statement confirmed the pair had both been put on the transfer market with immediate effect.

Rowe and Rabiot could be heading to Serie A

Rowe is reportedly on the verge of a move to Serie A for Bologna, while former Juventus midfielder Rabiot is linked with Inter, Milan, Roma, and even a potential return to Juve.

However, Marseille director and former Udinese, Roma and Juventus defender Medhi Benatia revealed the sheer extent of the incident, which might give their new clubs pause for thought.

“We had hoped that giving the players 48 hours off would give them time to reflect, to reconsider, but instead there were no apologies,” Benatia told RMC Sport.

“It was a locker room argument, we know these defeats can cause frustration. But there was physical aggression. It was a fight, let’s be honest, that’s the reality.

“Usually when there are words spoken, the coach comes in and speaks, it all calms down. Not here, it got into a physical confrontation, punches were thrown, Bakola felt unwell and fell to the ground, still they carried on.

“It was a scene of utter chaos. I’ve been in football 17-18 years, I’ve been a captain, sometimes you have heated exchanges, but you can’t have people punching each other in the face and security coming to separate you. Where are we? We’re here to play football.

“I’ve seen it all, but someone coming in and just punching him in the face. I’ve never seen that. This is not normal.”

Benatia also confirmed that Rowe had been likely to leave anyway following the investment in Igor Paixao, but that this situation had forced Marseille to rush it through, which could give Bologna a bargain.

“I can tell you my phone hasn’t stopped ringing since this happened, I’m sure the same is true for the players, so they won’t have any problem finding new clubs. It’s a problem for Olympique Marseille, where are we going to find a player of the level of Rabiot with 10 days left in the transfer market?”

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