Manchester United pause chase for Paris-Saint Germain star

Manchester United have been forced to put their interest in Marco Verratti on hold after Paris-Saint Germain demanded Anthony Martial in return, reports The Daily Mirror.

The Red Devils have been given hope in their pursuit of Verratti after the Italy international ditched his agent to sign up for Mino Raiola.

United have been heavily involved with Raiola in the last two summers after signing a number of his clients, including Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku.

Verratti confirmed his desire to join Barcelona earlier in the summer but the La Liga champions are fighting a losing battle in their attempts to lure the highly-rated midfielder away from Paris.

Jose Mourinho’s side have also expressed an interest in the £60m-rated midfielder but are now likely to sign Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic after being told PSG want Martial included in any deal.

Martial has endured a turbulent time since Mourinho was appointed United manager but the Premier League giants have no interest in selling the France international just yet.

In the last three Ligue 1 campaigns, Verratti has been fouled more times than any other player (205).