Lisandro Martinez landed himself in hot water earlier this month with his explosive comments about Jason Wilcox, and it now appears that the Argentine defender could be on his way out of Manchester United

Spanish giants Barcelona are reportedly eyeing a move for Manchester United star Lisandro Martinez following his angry outburst. The Argentine defender took aim at the Red Devils’ director Jason Wilcox following the club’s Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.

He said: "We did a fantastic season last season and now we expect more from the top, more players to compete because many teams bring many players as well. Atletico have an amazing team and they deserve to win today.

"I expect more [investment]. 100 per cent. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox]. I have to be honest, as players we have to do more but it is also important when you make a strong squad to be ready for this kind of night."

Martinez has since apologised for those comments. But it now appears that the former Ajax man could be on the way out of Old Trafford regardless.

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As per Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have Martinez as one of four potential options to bolster their backline. It is suggested that Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol is their dream signing, albeit any deal would be difficult to pull off.

Martinez is considered far more attainable given his irritation with United’s effort in the transfer market, while he is also out of contract at the end of the season, meaning January is the Red Devils’ final chance to secure a fee for his services.

There is an option to extend that contract by a further year and it has previously been suggested that United are considering doing just that in an effort to get a bigger fee should they choose to sell.

Martinez, 28, was signed from Dutch side Ajax back in 2022 to be reunited with Erik ten Hag. But injuries and lack of form have massively impacted his time at Old Trafford, having made 119 appearances for the club in all competitions.

Other options for Barcelona include Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni and Real Betis’ Natan.

Asked about Martinez’s comments recently, United boss Michael Carrick said: "It's done really. We've moved on from that. It's one of those things. Licha has come out and acknowledged the situation and, as a group, we have moved on. There's no drama for us as a group.”

He added: "I mean, from the outside, you are after some information about the discussions but it was pretty simple. We all understood the situation and what it meant. Licha has given a statement and acknowledged that it was a mistake from him. That was it really.

"We understand the situation that came up after the game but we feel that has been dealt with and we've moved on. There was a freshness about the group today that I really liked."