Surajit Das
Atletico Madrid are eyeing a swap deal involving Manchester United star Anthony Martial
According to Eurosport (h/t TeamTalk), Atletico Madrid are set to contact Manchester United about a swap deal for signing Anthony Martial before the end of the year.
Anthony Martial has become an unused spare part at Old Trafford. The 26-year-old only played eight full 90-minute matches last season before being injured. While that was a story under axed manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the situation hasn’t become any better under new manager Ralf Rangnick. The French striker hasn’t made any starts since the arrival of the German.
However, the recent comment from Martial’s agent about the player’s intention to leave the Red Devils hasn’t gone well with Rangnick.
Things are beginning to look more difficult currently for the former Monaco man. Several top tier teams have tracked down his situation in recent times. Arsenal, Newcastle, PSG, and Lyon have shown interest recently. However, it is believed that Spanish giants Atletico Madrid have joined the race to lure the centre forward.
United paid a considerable amount of money to acquire Martial’s signature. Thus, there is a possibility that the Red Devils board would put a hefty price tag on the Frenchmen. However, to tackle the situation, Atletico are planning to offer Rangnick’s team one of their own players to ‘tempt’ them for a move.
Martial’s recent performance undoubtedly has taken a hit amid injuries and lack of game time. However, two seasons back, he was on fire, capitalizing on almost every opportunity given to him. The French international has scored 79 goals and provided 50 assists in 268 appearances.
More Manchester United News
- Manchester United star Jesse Lingard encouraged by the arrival of Ralf Rangnick
- Manchester United star Victor Lindelof wore a heart monitor for two days after breathing problems
- Steve McManaman backs Cristiano Ronaldo to call it quits at Manchester United for Real Madrid in 2023
Thus, it is peculiar how we cannot pinpoint if Martial has succeeded or failed so far in his career. Maybe he has had a good career but the weight of expectations overshadow some of his achievements. On the other hand, United’s front men have been pretty quiet this season apart from Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, the Portuguese cannot keep playing forever at his current age. In that case, Rangnick should provide the 26-year-old Martial with some chances to showcase what he’s got. If he departs, we can pocket cash. If he stays, he offers good depth. It’s a win-win for a United fan- but we must understand that he cannot be trusted as a long-term striking option when it comes to starting games week in, week out.
