Manchester United are set to open fresh contract talks with star attacker Anthony Martial, with Juventus lurking around.
Manchester United are planning to hold contract negotiations with striker Anthony Martial, amid reports of interest from Italian champions Juventus claims a report from the Times.
Martial has fallen down the pecking order at the Old Trafford since the arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January and has started just one of Manchester United’s last four matches, although manager Jose Mourinho did confirm that the Frenchman missed out on Monday night’s win over Crystal Palace owing to an injury.
Martial joined Manchester United from AS Monaco in a £38 million deal in the summer of 2015. So far in his spell at Old Trafford, the 22-year old has made 129 appearances, in which he has scored 36 times and assisted 27 times. After enjoying a stellar debut campaign, in which he finished as the club’s top-scorer, things have gotten a bit difficult for the French international since the arrival of Mourinho in 2016.
Martial has made 38 appearances for United this term across all competitions, 20 of which have been from the start. He has managed returns of 11 goals and 10 assists. But, it is understood that Mourinho still isn’t totally convinced by the player’s mental strength and defensive workrate.
However, officials at the club believe that he has the potential to be one of the league’s most devastating forwards and are keen on keeping hold of him.
Martial has a contract with the club that runs till the summer of 2019, but United do have an option of extending it by another 12 months. However, it is being reported that the Red Devils are intent on putting together a new deal for the forward at the earliest possible juncture, after interest from Juventus has intensified.
The Bianconeri have made their interest in Martial known and club director Pavel Nedved was spotted along with the player’s representative in London earlier this week when Juve were in England for their UEFA Champions League encounter against Tottenham Hotspur.
United had held preliminary talks with Martial’s agent Philippe Lamboley in December last year, but there had been no progress made since. However, with Juventus looking to take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding the former AS Monaco man, Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward has made Martial’s contract extension a top priority.
Despite his reduced involvement under Jose, Martial remains a superlative talent with loads of unfulfilled potential. If the player applies himself, there is no doubt that he is bound to reach great heights. Losing the 22-year old with his best years still ahead of him would be a major blunder on Manchester United’s part and the club should do everything possible to try and secure his long-term future.
