Man Utd to sacrifice Martial to land Serie A star

Tom Weber

• 4 May 2023 21:16 BST
• 3 min read

Anthony Martial has struggled to find his feet under Erik ten Hag, and now the Dutchman could be ready to use the forward as a makeweight to land a real number nine.

The Frenchman has had a season disrupted by injury, which has contributed to Manchester United's woes in the striker position. With Wout Weghorst's loan unlikely to be made permanent and Martial seemingly unable to stay fit, the Red Devils will dip into the market to bring in a 'proper number nine' this summer.

Ten Hag revealed as much after his side's 2-2 draw with Tottenham, saying that if United want to compete on all fronts and to get back to challenging for Premier League titles, they need more depth and quality up top. This has also been echoed by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who has stated that a striker is Erik ten Hag's priority in the upcoming window.

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Linked with Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen, United may be put off by their price tags in excess of €100 million given the uncertainty surrounding the club's ownership at the moment. Unsurprisingly, then, reports in Italy claim that the Premier League giants have identified a cheaper alternative.

Lautaro Martinez at Old Trafford?

According to Calciomercato, Manchester United are weighing up a move for Inter star Lautaro Martinez, who is one of Italy's in-form strikers at the moment, having scored five goals in his last three Serie A outings.

To complete a deal, the report goes on to say, United will offer €50m and Anthony Martial to an Inter side that may also be looking for a forward in the summer given the unwillingness to sign Romelu Lukaku permanently and Edin Dzeko's age and expiring contract.

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"Although this offer is considered attractive by the Nerazzurri management," writes the Italian outlet, "it is difficult to think of a sale of the Argentine in exchange for compensation in the form of a player. Manchester United, however, intend to get serious, and they are ready to knock on the doors of the Lombard club."