Sky Sports pundit sheds light on surprise Man Utd swap deal with Barcelona

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Despite making an impressive impact for Man Utd so far this season, it hasn’t stopped speculation linking Anthony Martial with a shock move to Barcelona.

The 21-year-old is still struggling to establish himself as a regular starter for Jose Mourinho, but five goals and six assists in nine appearances in all competitions so far this year shows that he’s found a role and is shining at Old Trafford.

However, as noted by ESPN, reports of a swap deal involving Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic have circulated this week, raising question marks over Martial’s future in Manchester. Further, it was suggested that on their part, United were open to the idea.

Given his age, talent and current influence under Mourinho with so much more room for improvement to establish himself as one of the top forwards in Europe, this would arguably be a very strange decision if Man Utd were open to letting him leave in return for Rakitic.

Admittedly, you could see the argument for an exit from Martial’s part if he can’t force his way into the starting line-up on a regular basis, but as of yet, there’s been no suggestion that he wants out. However, Balague believes that wouldn’t be the only issue that would stand between him and an exit.

“Martial is very much liked at Barcelona, but how can you get a player from the Premier League even if you are Barcelona? Wages will have to be reduced, cost of transfer might be prohibitive for someone who has not reached the top ten of world-class players,” he told Sky Sports.

“So no, the swap has not been considered. But their situations are interesting.”

Having signed Ousmane Dembele to fill the gap left by Neymar this past summer, you’d also have to ask the question if there would be room for Martial at Barcelona. In turn, for now at least, this rumour can surely be put to bed.

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