Barcelona's desire to sign forward being held up by Manchester United

Barcelona are among the contenders to sign Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, but they will need to meet certain conditions in order to convince the Premier League club to allow the Frenchman to leave.

Martial's career in Manchester seems to be over after he was left out of the squad for the Red Devils' game against Aston Villa last weekend. Ralf Rangnick stated that the striker refused to travel with the squad, but that was quickly refuted by the France international, who made it clear that he would "never refuse to play" for United.

The 26-year-old, who joined the 20-time English champions in 2015, has spent seven season in Manchester, but has failed to live up to his potential. He arrived as the world's most expensive teenager in a deal worth £36 million, but is now desperately looking for a way out of the club this month.

Martial has informed Rangnick that he wishes to depart Old Trafford this month after struggling for game time, and the player has garnered interest from a number of clubs in England and abroad. However, according to Fabrizio Romano, United are playing hardball with interested clubs and will only allow him to leave for a hefty fee.

The English outfit wants interested suitors to cover Martial's £150,000-a-week wages, while also forking out a loan fee for the French forward. Sevilla were the first club to make a concrete offer, but they baulked at United's demands after initially agreeing to take on half of Martial's wages.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are also looking to sign a forward this month, but their not-so-secret financial problems are certain to hold them back if United continue to insist on interested clubs covering the Frenchman's hefty wages. Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are also keen, but Martial is not interested in joining another club in England and wants to move abroad.