Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United willing to pay out a massive sum to help forward Anthony Martial seal a summer transfer exit
According to The Sun, Manchester United are prepared to pay out a massive sum to forward Anthony Martial ahead of the summer transfer window in order to help him depart the club, after spending seven long years at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman had a blockbuster start to life in Manchester, scoring on his debut against Liverpool and becoming an instant hero. That introduction turned him from a relative unknown to a household name at his new club.
He has not been able to sustain that same level of success, however, falling down the pecking order in attack at United. With Cristiano Ronaldo being re-signed last summer and the presence of Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford in the squad, Martial has had to settle for a place on the bench.
This forced him to seek a transfer elsewhere in order to gain more minutes on the pitch, and he secured a temporary move to Sevilla in January. The player will stay at the La Liga club until the summer when his loan spell expires.
Expensive way out for Martial
There is no guarantee that the 26-year-old will have a regular role in Manchester next season, and a move away from the Red Devils is being discussed by the club hierarchy. Sevilla have expressed an interest in retaining the player beyond his loan spell, but his wages have proven to be a problem for the Spanish club to afford.
60 per cent of his salary is being borne by Man United during this short-term loan, with two years left on his contract at Old Trafford, retaining him would cost them around £25m. Senior officials at the English club are now hoping that he will agree to accept around half of his remaining terms since both parties are on the same page regarding an exit.
A new manager will be taking over at the Theatre of Dreams from next season, and Martial’s future at the club will eventually be decided by him. Although the former AS Monaco man left for Sevilla in January to gain more minutes, it has not gone according to plan.
A dip in form and injuries have limited his appearances in Spain, with the Frenchman unable to make a meaningful impact. With Real Madrid having won the La Liga title and just a few games remaining in the campaign, the time has seemingly run out for Martial to prove that he is still capable of producing the goods.
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That said, Sevilla’s interest in him may prove to be a lifeline for the attacker beyond the summer. He will, however, need to accept United’s proposal of compromising on the terms of his current contract with the English giants in order to free himself to a move away from Old Trafford.
Although it will be quite a pay cut to take, it may perhaps be in the best interest of both himself and his parent club to mutually agree on an exit. He has been a good servant of the Premier League side in the past, and it may be best to finally move on.
