26-year-old confirms Barcelona snub after completing January move

Anthony Martial may have been out of favour at Manchester United, but the French striker had a number of suitors when he decided to leave Old Trafford on a temporary basis during the January transfer window. The Red Devils attacker finally sealed a move to Sevilla on a six-month loan deal, but has revealed that he turned down two European giants to join the La Liga outfit.

The 26-year-old forward joined United from Monaco in 2015 for a fee that will rise to £56 million to become the world's most expensive teenager at the time. Martial impressed during the early years, but has failed to live up to his true potential in recent campaigns.

The France international struggled for game time under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and it failed to improve once Ralf Rangnick took over from the sacked Norwegian. Martial informed the German coach of his desire to leave the club, but United made it clear that he will be allowed to leave only if interested clubs met their terms.

Sevilla finally agreed to cover all of the striker's wages until the end of the season, while also paying a loan fee to complete the deal in the final week of the January transfer window. Martial has now revealed that his agent was also in contact with Spanish giants Barcelona and Serie A big guns Juventus.

However, Martial had committed to joining Sevilla, and informed his agent to reject advances from the two European giants. Juventus went on to sign Dusan Vlahovic in a £65 million deal from Fiorentina, while Barcelona signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free transfer from Arsenal on deadline day.

"Yes, it's true. Juventus tried to sign me," Martial said in an interview with Diario de Sevilla. "I talked to my agent and told him that I preferred to go to Sevilla. It was the best option for me and my family."

"Barcelona spoke with my agent. But, as I said, I spoke to my agent and told him: 'My priority is Sevilla'," he added. "And when I say something to someone, I don't change it, I keep my word."

Martial will remain with the Spanish outfit until the end of the season before returning to Old Trafford. The Andalusian club do not have an option to make the move permanent, but it is likely that the Frenchman will depart the English Premier League club on a permanent basis in the summer.