Manchester United Give Green Light To $55M Star’s Departure Amid Interest From Barcelona: Report

Anthony Martial reportedly could leave Manchester United in January amid interest from FC Barcelona and Tottenham.

Martial still has three years left on his current contract and Manchester United are valuing the French forward at around $55 million, reported sports media outlet Eurosport. International Business Times, however, could not verify it independently.

The 25-year-old Martial, who made 36 appearances for the Red Devils last season, is struggling to fit in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans this season. In the 2021-22 campaign, out of Manchester United’s five Premier League matches, Martial has started only once, came off the bench thrice before remaining as an unused substitute in their 2-1 win over West Ham last weekend.

As per the report, Manchester United officials have given Martial’s representatives the green signal to look for a new club for their client. While Martial is open to moving to a rival Premier League club, the center-forward could also accept an offer from any club abroad. At present, Martial has no offer in place but the Old Trafford side would agree to part ways with him if a fair offer lands during the winter window.

Martial, who moved from Monaco to Manchester United in the summer of 2015, had been trying to establish himself as the club’s No. 9. But the arrival of Edinson Cavani last season and Cristiano Ronaldo this campaign, combined with the quick rise of young Mason Greenwood is making it further difficult for Martial to earn enough opportunities at Old Trafford.

The French forward earns around $341,000-a-week at Manchester United. Barcelona, which are experiencing a major financial crisis, will struggle to even match Martial’s current wage, let alone bettering it.

Meanwhile, Spurs have been a long-term admirer of Martial, having tried to sign him in 2015 before the France national landed at Old Trafford. Spurs are planning to offer Harry Kane in a swap deal that would see Martial move to North London and Kane to Manchester, according to soccer outlet TEAMtalk.

Since his Manchester United debut in 2015, Martial has made 337 competitive appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 93 goals along with 58 assists.