Assessing Anthony Martial’s potential destinations away from Manchester United
By Joel Edkins
A Switch to Spain Perhaps for the Manchester United forward?
Of the most recent reports, those linking Martial to Atlético Madrid have become the most prominent.
According to ESPN, those in charge of the current La Liga title holders are “plotting” a potential offer for a swap deal for the player that they have been “long-time admirers of”.
On paper, Los Colchoneros aren’t short of options in the forward positions but when delving deeper, manager Diego Simeone’s choices each have a red flag.
The two figureheads of Luis Suárez (34) and Antoine Griezmann (30) aren’t the primed goal scorers they once were and the alternate first-team options of Felix, Cunha, Correa and Šaponjić have a total of 8 goals between them this season.
The Manchester United forward will no doubt view this as a viable option to play Champions League football if all’s well and his route to the starting XI seems straightforward, which is a vital element, with an eye on selection for next year’s World Cup.
Another option that has come to light is a potential switch to Catalan giants Barcelona who, at a fee rumoured to be in the region of £30million, may view the aforenoted as a cheaper alternative to one Erling Haaland.