Barcelona reportedly eyeing Anthony Martial after scouting mission

Rumours that Barcelona could make a move for Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial are gathering pace after the Catalan club’s sporting director Robert Fernández was spotted in the stands during the Champions League win over Benfica on Wednesday. If it really was Martial that Fernández came to see, he’d have been disappointed: the Frenchman only featured for the final quarter-hour, and failed to produce much in his limited game-time.

However, it is precisely because of Mourinho’s tendency to consign Martial to the bench that Mundo Deportivo think a transfer could be on the cards. Martial is young but certainly ready for first team football, but his start in the goalless draw with Liverpool last weekend was only his second in the league so far this season. Could it be that José Mourinho is beginning to get Tony’s back up?

At this stage, it’s all talk, and Martial would be far from guaranteed a spot in Barça’s lineup. The Catalan side may have lost Neymar over the summer, but they splashed the cash in signing Martial’s compatriot Ousmane Dembélé as replacement. The former Borussia Dortmund man is likely to be sidelined until the new year with a hamstring injury, though will be expecting to waltz back into Ernesto Valverde’s side upon his recovery. Things may not be perfect under Mourinho, but would Martial really be better off at Barça?