The winter transfer window is a few weeks away but the rumours have started to circle around already with a massive one just being reported by the Sun to add some fuel to the fire. The English tabloid reported that Anthony Martial could be in the middle of a £60million battle between Barcelona and Real Madrid and unhappy £63m Real star James Rodriguez may hold the key.
Martial, 20, arrived at United from Monaco last year in a deal which made him the most expensive teenager in the world. The France international cost an initial £36 million, but with a further £8m arriving once he reaches 25 goals for Jose Mourinho’s side and that same amount once he earns 25 caps for Les Bleus, United’s outlay is likely to be at least £52m before the end of next season.
The ex-Monaco attacker gave everybody a glimpse of his huge potential right after coming on to the pitch and scoring a brilliant goal to help his side win against rivals Liverpool. The Frenchman featured in 31 Premier League matches last season, scoring 11 goals and assisting four times.
At the start of this season, the attacker lost the No. 9 shirt to Zlatan Ibrahimović when the Swedish superstar arrived in the summer, and the attacker has since been used in a wider capacity by his new manager.
Martial is not considered appropriate for the tactics which Mourinho wants to employ at Old Trafford as he has admitted that the player would be more suited to the formation elsewhere in a press conference recently. His defensive setup has often shackled the mercurial Frenchman.
The United boss would prefer James Rodriguez on his team rather which is why he is open to doing business with Real Madrid. The Columbian has fallen down the pecking order at Los Blancos and needs to move away from his current location to resurrect his career. Even though the midfielder has proved his worth in La Liga, he doesn’t seem to be a part of Zinedine Zidane’s plans for the future.
As a result of which the attacking midfielder is expendable in the manager’s match day squad. Adding Martial to the squad will boost the attacking options of Real Madrid while capturing Rodriguez would satisfy Mourinho’s insatiable need of adding another experienced player to his ranks.
Barcelona and PSG are also interested in securing Martial’s signature but with Real having the leverage with Rodriguez, it looks like Bernabéu will be the place Martial end up if he leaves United.
