Transfer Rumour: Manchester United ready to offer Anthony Martial in deal to land Ivan Rakitic

Manchester United are reportedly ready to offer Anthony Martial as part of a swap deal to sign Ivan Rakitic from Barcelona.

According to a report by Spanish publication Diario Gol, Jose Mourinho is seeking the possibility of signing Ivan Rakitic. The Manchester United boss is prepared to offer Anthony Martial in order to lure Barcelona into selling the Croatian midfielder.

Rakitic has been a key figure for Barcelona since arriving from Sevilla in the summer of 2014 in a €18 million deal. Renowned for his technical ability, the player has amassed 170 appearances with the Catalan club, bagging 26 goals and 25 assists.

Having been a consistent performer in La Liga for several years, Rakitic has been a highly sought-after player in the transfer market in recent years, with Manchester United, in particularly, tailing him for a long time.

However, while Barcelona have been reluctant to part ways with the Croat in the past, their stance could change soon for two reasons. Firstly, the Blaugrana are eyeing a possible Bosman deal for Leon Goretzka, whose arrival could deem Rakitic to be surplus to requirements at Camp Nou.

Manchester United are willing to let Anthony Martial join Barcelona as part of a swap deal involving Ivan Rakitic, according to Diario Gol. pic.twitter.com/eZPaq9sxNn

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Also, Manchester United are ready to offer a player who the Catalans have been targeting for some time in order to lure them into selling Rakitic to the Premier League heavyweights.

Jose Mourinho, who is a keen admirer of the Croatia international’s talents is prepared to let Anthony Martial head the other way to land his target man in a stunning swap deal.

Although Mourinho added Nemanja Matic to his squad in the summer, Michael Carrick appears set to call time on his career at the end of the season, as per various reports. The veteran Englishman’s departure will open up a spot in midfield, making Rakitic a viable short-term replacement.

In fact, the arrival of the Barcelona midfielder could further help Paul Pogba achieve his potential due to the former’s ability to dictate the tempo of the game. However, offering Martial in return might not be the best foot forward for Manchester United.

Firstly, the departure of the Frenchman, who has been imperious at the start of the 2017-18 season, could leave Mourinho with a severe shortage of quality and quantity in attack. Furthermore, replacing a player whose best years are well ahead of him in favour of someone who will be a short-term solution appears to be bad business.

Recent reports have suggested that Martial has no intention of leaving Manchester United after putting an underwhelming 2016-17 season behind him. It now remains to be seen if the Mourinho indeed goes ahead with the decision to offer the Frenchman as part of the deal to sign Rakitic.