Manchester United’s Anthony Martial is still keen on finding a way out of Old Trafford this summer, with the former AS Monaco forward having allowed his agent to publicly state his intentions earlier in this summer’s transfer window to the French press. Citing a desire to ‘resume his career’, Philippe Lamboley suggested that the Frenchman might have left the club sooner were it not for the love of United’s fanbase, and with Alexis Sanchez currently Jose Mourinho’s first choice for a role on the left-hand side of attack, Martial’s chances of forcing his way back into the starting XI look slim.
According to a report in The Guardian, Mourinho is now less-than reluctant to sell the player, having changed his initial stance on the suggestion. The Portuguese will countenance a sale for the right fee, and presumably if a replacement can be sourced. Mourinho has courted a right-sided attacker for the last two summers, and perhaps the money generated from the sale of Martial could be put into attempting to convince Inter Milan to release Ivan Perisic. The club aren’t minded to sell to another Premier League club, wisely, and will likely extend his current deal by a year to drive his transfer fee up if an agreement to sell is reached.
The Frenchman is in a fairly weak position if that happens, as United will likely look to command double the £36m fee that they paid to AS Monaco in 2015. That would put him out of reach of the majority of Europe’s richer clubs, with only a select few likely being willing to go that high to secure his services. The shortened transfer window also makes securing a replacement particularly hazardous, so it feels unlikely that this saga will reach a satisfying conclusion before the upcoming Premier League season kicks off.
