Manchester United fans had very high hopes when the Old Trafford outfit brought in Monaco’s French international attacker Anthony Martial for £36 million back in the summer of 2015 – on a deal that could have been worth £58 million with associated add ons.
The now 28 year old does not have a bad scoring record for them either, in 221 starts and 96 substitute showings across all competitions, he has contributed 90 goals, but for a variety of reasons he is largely consider a flop at the club, and with his contract set to expire at the end of the current 2023/24 campaign, it is now being claimed that he has been offered to Italian Serie A side Inter Milan.
The 28 year old has not featured for the side since the start of December owing to injury, but outlet Gazzetta dello Sport have recently claimed that United have basically given Inter a first refusal offer before the next window opens.
The thing to remember though, is that United are no longer in charge of his career so have no right, or power, to even offer him on a free transfer. He will be a free transfer as a Bosman, and if Inter had any real interest in his services then they could have already signed a pre contract agreement with him back in January (and again there is nothing that United could have done to stop it, as they are now powerless).
Putting that to one side, the report goes on to claim that Martial will be considered by Inter but given his injury history at United, he is most certainly not their top priority this summer as they have instead short listed Genoa striker Albert Gudmundsson.
The 26 year old former PSV Academy graduate is having a decent spell in Italy following his arrival in 2022, and the 37 capped Iceland international is clearly seen as a more reliable option right now given Martial’s injury problems.
Martial will be looking for a fresh start though, as his talent cannot be questioned, he just needs to prove his fitness again to get himself fully back on track. And despite the less than concrete basis behind the recent ‘offer’ claims, it is not the first time the Nerazzurri have been linked with having an interest in him and Serie A would obviously be a good league for him to fully re-establish himself.
Whilst Martial may likely be an option on a free, Gudmundsson remains under contract until 2027 so would likely require a more significant investment, however, with 13 goals this season and no baggage, he could easily be a more attractive proposition.
