Anthony Martial rumored to make surprising move as final decision on Premier League comeback is shared
Anthony Martial is linked with two clubs in a surprising European league as he gets closer to choosing his next team.
Back in September 2015, Manchester United signed Martial for £36 million, making him the most expensive teenage player at that time. Many hoped he would reach great heights, but as a free agent now, he hasn’t quite lived up to those big expectations. With his future still up in the air, reports say he might move to one of two clubs in the Russian Premier League.
After leaving Manchester United, Martial spent a year with AEK Athens, the champions of Greece’s Super League. He played 24 games, scored nine goals, and made two assists while there. He then moved to Monterrey in Mexico’s Liga MX but left the club by mutual agreement in June after just 20 appearances. Even though he had a two-year deal, he ended it early and is still looking for a new club.
Since it’s been four months since Martial left Monterrey, it seems like he’ll need to decide soon whether to join a new team or stay without one for the rest of the year. According to the French news outlet L’Equipe, Russian clubs CSKA Moscow and Krasnodar are leading the race to sign him.
There’s also talk that Malaga and another Spanish club are in contact with Martial, but a return to France looks unlikely. He reportedly turned down a contract from Auxerre earlier this summer. His agent said several French clubs were offered Martial’s services, but only Auxerre showed real interest.
Martial also reportedly rejected a “crazy” offer from the Libyan club Al-Ittihad Tripoli, which included a €10 million net salary over two years and a huge €5 million signing bonus.
This summer, Martial’s team approached as many as seven Premier League clubs about a possible return. Crystal Palace, Everton, Leeds, Brighton, Newcastle, Sunderland, and Tottenham Hotspur were all contacted. Of these, Everton were the only club seriously interested after their deal for striker Folarin Balogun fell through.
In the end, Martial didn’t join Everton or any Premier League club, and with talks now pointing toward a move to Russia, it seems that the Premier League teams won’t be signing him anytime soon.