Tottenham Hotspur look poised to enter the race to sign unsettled Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, according to reports.

The 22-year-old Frenchman fell out of favour towards the tail end of the 2017/18 season, even being left out of the Manchester United squad entirely for the club’s final Premier League game of the season against Watford.

Infrequent starts, the arrival of Alexis Sanchez, and his manager Jose Mourinho’s tendency to deploy him out wide rather than as a central striker, have led to suggestions that Martial might terminate his three year association with United.

With Mauricio Pochettino eyeing additions that would strengthen his own squad, Martial might just fit the bill.

His versatility and pace would be major assets for Tottenham and would be a signal of their intent and ambition as they seek to build on strong league finishes in recent years.

But any move for the forward would face stiff competition from across Europe, while London rivals Chelsea have previously expressed interest in the Frenchman reportedly.

Any transfer would not come cheap though, even if United want to do business. Martial arrived for an initial £36 million and the Red Devils hierarchy will want to recoup a sizeable amount of that outlay.

However, with just a year to run on Martial’s initial deal, and with the prospects of an extension looking doubtful, Tottenham look ready to open their transfer war chest and pounce on the forward.

Speaking about the possibility of his client moving away from Old Trafford, Martial’s agent Philippe Lamboley told French website RMC: “After thinking about all the possibilities, Anthony wants to leave Manchester United.”

“When Manchester United, which is the most powerful club in the world, does not find an agreement in eight months of negotiations, it is that it does not really want to make it an important player.”