EXCLUSIVE: Aston Villa weigh up Martial loan move from Man Utd

Steve Kay

• Updated: 22 May 2023 08:02 BST
• 3 min read

Exclusive

Aston Villa are looking at a possible loan move for Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial, FootballTransfers can reveal.

The Frenchman is not in Erik ten Hag’s plans and the Dutchman will look to ship him out in the upcoming transfer window.

We understand that Villa are weighing up whether to make a proposal that sees Martial come in on an initial loan with an option-to-buy after a year.

Unai Emery is looking for a versatile attacker for next season, one who can play down the middle as a second striker, or on the wing.

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Martial has been plagued by injuries this season - and his time at Man Utd is coming to an end.

Ten Hag will look to bring in an elite striker for next season. We are told the side are targeting Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund but they will struggle to secure a deal below £60million, FootballTransfers has been told.

Sources in Italy have spoken about Man Utd’s interest in the 20-year-old, following the news they want to buy the youngster to play alongside Harry Kane.

Atalanta to hold firm

We understand that though the club are indeed in for Hojlund, they will not be encouraged to make an opening offer of £40m, an amount that has been floated in the UK media.

Hojlund is contracted to Atalanta until 2027 and the club would rather see him be sold after one more season in Bergamo. It is thought that the striker’s valuation could be doubled at this point, while they would also be able to have him for another season.

The Champions League looks out of reach for Atalanta at this point and that might have some effect, but there will be a concerted effort to keep hold of Hojlund.