Former Gunner Marcus McGuane is very unlikely to join Hadjuk Split on a permanent deal this month, contrary to reports, but he could leave Barcelona on loan.

Reports from Spain on Tuesday raised the possibility of a transfer for the Arsenal academy product. SPORT wrote that McGuane had travelled to Croatia to try and seal a permanent move to Hadjuk Split, following Arsene Wenger’s former assistant Boro Primorac to the club.

Ed Aarons of The Guardian denied the claims, writing on Twitter that he’d been told McGuane was ‘very unlikely’ to join Hadjuk Split. However, Aarons did add McGuane could leave Barcelona on loan this month.

McGuane left Arsenal for Barcelona in January 2018, not long after making his senior debut for the Gunners in the Europa League. The midfielder made eight appearances in his first half-season with Barcelona B, but he struggled to push on in 2018/19.

A hamstring injury and very inconsistent selection for the B team left McGuane with just 16 appearances for the campaign, and only seven of those were starts. Leaving Arsenal as a central midfielder, McGuane ended up making playing just as many games out wide last season.

A loan move would probably be the best thing for the England u19 international at this point, giving him a chance to play regularly for a senior team and prove he deserves more opportunities in his favoured position in midfield.