Man United forward confirms he was close to joining Barcelona in January

Despite not being able to sign a single player in January, Barcelona were linked with a host of stars during the January transfer window.

One of them was Anthony Elanga. The club were reportedly interested in signing the Manchester United youngster on a loan deal, but the move did not materialise in the end.

In a recent interview with the Swedish media outlet, Expressen, Elanga himself confirmed that he was close to joining Barcelona in January.

 “That was in January,” Elanga said (h/t Mundo Deportivo) when asked whether or not he was close to joining the Catalans in the winter transfer window. The youngster was targeted as a direct replacement for the outgoing Memphis Depay at the time.

Formerly of the Malmo youth academy, Elanga has fallen out of favour at Manchester United this season. He has featured in less than 500 minutes of league football, falling behind the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, and Jadon Sancho in the pecking order.

In light of his lack of minutes at Old Trafford this season, Elanga said, “It is frustrating. I want to play. As a footballer, you don’t want to sit on the bench.” 

The youngster, though, went on stress the importance of finishing the season well. Only then, the forward will think about his future.

“We have a long season left and we have to finish the best we can. Now we have managed to win a trophy. We are in the semifinals of the FA Cup and we continue to play in the Europa League. That’s what we focus on,” he said.

It is unclear whether or not Barcelona would come back into the market to sign Elanga in the summer. The club are currently prioritising a move for Brazilian whizkid Vitor Roque, who has been identified as an ideal long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski.