Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has reportedly emerged as a target for former club AS Monaco over a possible January loan move.
According to reputed Portuguese journalist Pedro Almeida, Anthony Martial is the subject of interest from AS Monaco over a possible loan move in the January transfer window. Sevilla and Lille are also courting the out-of-favour Manchester United forward.
Anthony Martial is currently in his lowest ebb as a Manchester United player, having been on a downward spiral since ending the 2019/20 season as the club’s top scorer. Over the last 18 months, the Frenchman seems to have lost his killer instinct in the final third, and goals have been hard to come by for him.
Things have gone from bad to worse for Martial in the ongoing campaign, as he has managed only 359 minutes of game-time across ten outings, scoring one goal along the way. As a result, the 26-year-old’s frustrations have boiled over, and he is ready to leave Manchester United to resurrect his career. And former club AS Monaco could offer him an escape route out of Old Trafford.
The interest from AS Monaco is surprising, considering Wissam Ben Yedder has gone from strength to strength since joining the club from Sevilla. In addition, Niko Kovac has plenty of strikers at his disposal, meaning there is no real need to sign one in January.
However, Martial’s ability to play as a left-winger equally adeptly means he could be a viable target for his former club. To that end, the Ligue 1 giants have submitted an enquiry to understand the French forward’s situation, with Manchester United prepared to loan him out in the second half of the season.
In addition, Manchester United will ask for a purchase option worth €20 million to be included in the deal. It is unclear whether AS Monaco will be prepared to accept such terms, but they will also need to fend off competition from Sevilla and Lille, while Martial has also been linked with Barcelona.
However, recent reports have claimed that Martial is eager to join Sevilla, meaning Monaco could have an uphill task to convince their former player to return to Stade Louis II. So, with the competition for the 26-year-old forward’s signature intensifying, it remains to be seen where he will end up if he leaves Manchester United in January.