Barcelona unsure of signing Man United forward, Newcastle ready to pounce

As soon as the agent of Manchester United forward Anthony Martial publicly declared that the Frenchman wanted to leave the club in January, Barcelona were touted as a potential destination for him.

The 26-year-old has been with United since 2015 when he moved from AS Monaco but has never been able to showcase his full potential on a consistent basis. He has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford of late, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Edinson Cavani all ahead of him.

Having been starved of game-time, Martial has decided to move on, leading to interest from Barcelona. The Catalans are in the market for a new forward heading into the January window, given how badly they have been hit by injuries this term.

And while Martial is being looked at as an option, El Nacional is now reporting that manager Xavi Hernandez is not entirely convinced by the French international.

The report states that the Barcelona boss sees several admiring qualities in the 26-year-old Manchester United star. However, he has doubts over whether he can be a consistent source of goals at Camp Nou and be an improvement over summer signing Memphis Depay.

Furthermore, there are also reservations over if he can excel as a No. 9, as he seems more dangerous playing out wide on the left. And, at the moment, the wide attacking berths at Camp Nou already have plenty of contenders in Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele, Depay and now, youngster Ez Abde, who is making the most of his opportunities.

So, Xavi is not entirely certain if Martial would be worth the investment. Amidst this, Newcastle United have emerged as prospective suitors for the 2015 Golden Boy Award winner. The Magpies are in desperate need of adding quality to their frontline to boost their hopes of survival in the Premier League.

And, following their takeover, the Tyneside giants are in a position to meet Manchester United’s demands for Martial and the forward’s wage demands as well. With Barcelona having doubts over a move, Newcastle may have an upper hand in their pursuit of the 26-year-old.