Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Anthony Martial and Pepe

Manchester United are said to have no intention of letting Anthony Martial leave the club in the January transfer window.

The player's agent, Philippe Lamboley, told ABC de Sevilla (h/t Ian Holyman of ESPN FC) the forward was considering an offer to go on loan to Sevilla having fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford under manager Jose Mourinho.

However, according to Anthony Jepson of the Manchester Evening News, those discussions will not bring anything to fruition, as Martial will remain at United. "It is unlikely Sevilla could afford either the transfer fee or wages required to secure Martial," he added, as well as the fact that Mourinho still has faith in the Frenchman.

Last term, Martial was United's main attacking threat under Louis van Gaal, as opponents struggled to cope with his dashes infield from the left flank. However, after the summer acquisitions of players such as Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the responsibility in the final third has been shared.

Per Alex Shaw of ESPN, Ibrahimovic, in particular, has made a huge impression since making a move to Old Trafford:

As relayed by Jepson, Mourinho has done little to quell any frustrations Martial may have about not playing regularly. "It's taking a little bit of time, but he's a great kid," the United manager added. "He wants to improve. He's a good professional so I have no fears—I'm sure he will be there."

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While the 21-year-old will want to be out on the pitch as often as possible, some time on the fringes of the squad may not be too detrimental.

After all, it's easy to forget quite how young Martial is, not to mention the amount of football he has played since moving to United.

Too often we have seen youngsters fizz into life in the Premier League before burning out, and while the forward will surely play an important role for the Red Devils in 2017, a cautious approach from Mourinho is understandable.

AC Milan, United in for Pepe

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According to OK Diario (h/t Calciomercato.com), Manchester United and AC Milan both want to sign Real Madrid defender Pepe when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.

The 33-year-old looks poised to leave the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season, bringing an end to an illustrious 10-year career in the Spanish capital.

United manager Mourinho is said to be a huge fan of the Portugal international, although Milan are named as big admirers, as are Chinese Super League outfit Hebei Fortune.

Although Pepe could pick up a lucrative salary if he moved to China, if he did want to continue featuring at the highest level United could be an intriguing option. As we can see here, he is still a defensive colossus for Madrid:

Indeed, while his antics on the field do little to endear him to neutrals, Pepe is a brilliant player. The veteran is aggressive, decisive and has shown tremendous leadership skills for both club and country. Replacing him will be a big test for Los Blancos.

As noted by ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan, the man tipped to fill in for Pepe in the long term, Raphael Varane, has not convinced as of yet either:

While United have a lot of options in the centre-back positions, a player like Pepe would surely be welcome at Old Trafford.

Ibrahimovic arrived at the club in the summer in what many believed were the twilight years of his career, but his generalship, personality and winning mentality have helped revitalise the United attack. Pepe could carry out a similar job at the base of the team.