Leeds United transfer news: La Liga club eyes free agent striker following Elland Road rejection?

Malaga of La Liga are reportedly considering a move for Leeds United-linked striker Anthony Martial.

The former wonderkid who came through at Manchester United under the stewardship of Louis van Gaal is now 30 years old, looking for his next move in football after a wild fall from grace over the past decade.

Daniel Farke's side were linked to Martial during the summer transfer window, however, a move for the Frenchman did not materialise as they switched their attentions to other targets before the deadline.

After a promising start to the campaign, the Whites suffered their maiden loss of the 2026-27 season on Wednesday night, when they were hit for six at Stamford Bridge by Chelsea in the EFL Cup.

Nevertheless, Leeds are in a great position heading towards the cruel winter months and are realistically looking to challenge for a spot in the European places in the Premier League this term.

According to Italian journalist Matteo Moretto, a returning La Liga club are keen on securing the services of free agent Martial, who is scrambling for his next opportunity in the game after leaving Monterrey in June.

The report claims that Spanish club Malaga are considering a swoop for the 30-year-old, with the team back in the top flight of Spanish football after gaining promotion from La Liga 2 in 2025-26.

Collecting just a single point from their opening three La Liga battles so far, it is clear that Malaga need some more firepower at the top end of the pitch, which is where Martial would come into the equation.

Despite this, the Frenchman is supposedly eyeing up a move back to the Premier League, however, it is understood that Leeds are not currently considering a swoop for the ex-Man United man.

Martial's representatives are said to be sounding out a Premier League move for their client, however, the attacker's direction of travel could now be towards Spain with Malaga showing concrete interest.

Likened to French legend Thierry Henry in the early days, Martial was expected to blossom into one of football's greatest players in the mid 2010s, however, the youngster struggled at Manchester United.

To say that the 30-year-old failed to live up to his potential would be a severe understatement, with the ex-Monaco prodigy eventually departing Old Trafford on a free transfer in 2024.

There was a brief revival of Martial's fortunes during the 2019-20 season for Man United but that did not last for long, meaning that the striker goes down as one of the club's biggest flops.

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