While Manchester United fans are still on a high from beating Manchester City at the weekend, this news will bring them back down to earth. Anthony Martial wants to leave the club according to reports in France.
Martial became the worlds most expensive teenager when he joined United back in 2015, joining for an initial £36 million, a fee which could rise up to £57.6m if a number of conditions are met. Despite being relatively unknown, he announced himself to the world with a sensational solo goal against Liverpool.
He went on to become United’s top goalscorer that season, but saw his opportunities restricted the following season after the arrival of Jose Mourinho. He has since found his game time and performances improve this season, scoring 11 goals and getting 10 assists before the arrival of Alexis Sanchez in January.
Since then, Martial’s opportunities have once again become more restricted, and according to RMC Sport, the 22-year-old has refused a to sign a contract extension and wants to leave in search of ‘a new challenge’.
The report also claims that the wingers relationship with Jose Mourinho has turned ‘cold’ since the beginning of the turn of the year, and with just over one year left on his current deal, is ready to seek pastures new.
Tottenham, Arsenal, Juventus and Real Madrid have all been linked with the Frenchman, and if these rumours are true, there could be a bidding war this summer.
While sometimes it is wise to take such reports with a pinch of salt, it was in fact RMC Sport who broke the news of Martial’s move to United three years ago, which seemed to come from out of the blue, but of course turned out to be absolutely spot on.
In the past, when there have been similar rumours, Martial has swiftly taken to social media to deny such claims. We will be keeping a close eye on his twitter feed.
