Manchester United forward Anthony Martial is reportedly keen on joining Barcelona in January and is prepared to snub offers from other interested parties.
According to a report from SPORT, Barcelona have set their sights back on Manchester United striker Anthony Martial in the January transfer window after their attempts to sign Alvaro Morata proved futile. The Frenchman, who is out of favour at Old Trafford, is keen on making the switch to Camp Nou.
Martial has been with Manchester United since 2015 when he signed on as the world’s most expensive teenager at the time from AS Monaco. However, he has constantly blown hot and cold throughout his stint in England, which has meant that the forward has never been able to become an established starter in the lineup.
The arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho last summer pushed to serve Martial further down the pecking order at the Mancunian outfit, which has led to him seeking an exit in the January transfer window. Barcelona had expressed an interest in signing him recently but had turned their focus towards the likes of Alvaro Morata and Edinson Cavani of late.
However, with Juventus ruling out an exit for Morata and Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick making it clear that Cavani will not be allowed to leave this month, the Blaugrana are back on Martial. They are intent on signing a new centre-forward before the January transfer window slams shut, having lost Sergio Aguero to an early retirement due to a heart ailment.
Now, the report states Martial himself prefers a move to Catalonia. The 26-year-old has been attracting interest from Sevilla, while clubs from Italy have also been monitoring his situation. However, it is now being claimed that the French international prefers a move to Barcelona as he believes that his game would be more suited to the Catalans’ style of play.
To that end, the Manchester United forward’s camp has been turning down offers from elsewhere as they await for Barcelona to make a move. The Blaugrana would consider a six-month loan deal with an option to make the transfer permanent for a fee of around €40 million, as it would give them the chance to take a closer look at Martial before splashing the big bucks on his signing.
There have been reports of a potential swap deal involving Ousmane Dembele. So, it remains to be seen if the two teams can come to an agreement in the coming weeks as Martial lies in wait to put an end to his Old Trafford woes.
