You can add Chelsea to the list of clubs monitoring Manchester United forward Anthony Martial. For the Blues, it all depends on what happens with their star forward Eden Hazard. You may have heard, once or twice at least, about Real Madrid being keen on the Belgian. If Hazard heads to the Santiago Bernabeu, then summer transfer window domino theory kicks in.
Of course, Chelsea would have major competition, as Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus are all also reportedly interested in the Frenchman.
Of course, Martial’s decision to stay or go rests on what kind of assurances he gets about his future playing time.
As The Guardian points out, Martial has endured a very frustrating third season, as he’s seen himself:
“limited to 17 Premier League starts, and suitors – who already included Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur – have been granted enough encouragement that he could seek a fresh start at the end of the season. The Frenchman is contracted to 2019 with an option for a further year, and would therefore command a considerable fee. Juve are understood to have indicated they would be prepared to pay around £45m for his services.”
Martial’s role, and hence his production, has dropped considerably since Alexis Sanchez moved over from Arsenal in the January transfer window. He is second on team, with nine goals, behind Romelu Lukaku though. Martial has 14 months left on his deal, with an option for one more year beyond that.
With Eden Hazard, yes, the Real Madrid transfer narrative has been around for a very long time, but this summer sees variables that are more facilitating to a potential move. He only has two years left on his current deal, he’s most likely going to have to adjust and adapt to a new manager next season, and that next season is almost certain to see Europa League, and not Champions League football.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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