Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United preparing a swap deal involving Anthony Martial to land Napoli striker Victor Osimhen
According to Area Napoli (h/t Express), Manchester United are planning to offer a swap deal to Napoli involving Anthony Martial in order to land the Italian side’s striker Victor Osimhen in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Osimhen has continued to impress in Naples this season, picking up where he left off last season as he continues to supply the goals for the club. He has taken quickly to Serie A, regularly finding the back of the net after completing a move from Lille in 2020.
The 23-year-old’s performances this term have caught the attention of United, who are looking to reinforce their attacking ranks by signing a new forward. Despite boasting names like Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford in the squad, they have had to rely on Cristiano Ronaldo for the goals.
Though the Manchester side have another option in Anthony Martial, they chose to loan him out to Sevilla in the winter transfer window after the Frenchman barely got any minutes on the pitch. He has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford, having to settle for a place on the bench.
Relaunch operation for Osimhen
In order to boost their goals supply next season, the Red Devils made a discreet approach to sign Osimhen but saw their bid rejected. However, the English club have not given up on their pursuit of the Nigerian and now plans to ‘relaunch the operation’ by offering Martial in a swap deal.
However, this attempt may not have major success as Napoli have ‘little interest’ in signing the United loanee at the end of the season. Furthermore, the France international would prefer a move to Spain although the Old Trafford outfit are keen to permanently offload the 26-year-old.
This looks like it could play out into a sticky situation for all parties involved, with none of them aligned on what they would like in the summer transfer window. For United, having seen one bid for Osimhen rejected already, it may be unlikely that offering Martial may change the Italian side’s minds.
The United loanee is expected back in Manchester from Seville at the end of the season, but his future at the English club is unknown. Having lost his place in the starting lineup this term, it remains to be seen if he plans to fight his way back into the team beyond the summer or move elsewhere.
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However, with Martial wanting to stay in La Liga and Napoli not too keen on taking him on board, United may not make much progress down this path. Instead, they would be smart to either return with a more concrete bid for Osimhen, while keeping their eyes peeled for other clubs who may be interested in taking Martial away.
The Frenchman’s stock has fallen at Old Trafford, being offered to other clubs as a makeweight. He may soon leave the English side if things continue to remain the same, and fans could be left wondering where it all went wrong for the forward who once made a blockbuster start to life at the club and appeared to be on his way to the top.
