Monaco's Martial set for big-money United move

Monaco forward Anthony Martial has been given permission by France coach Didier Deschamps "to travel to England to sign a contract with Manchester United", the French Football Federation announced on Monday.

The announcement comes amid reports in France that the Premier League club are willing to pay a huge fee of anywhere between 50 million and 80 million euros (£36.5m-58.4m; $56m-89.6m) to sign the teenager.

That would represent a remarkable sum for a player who cost Monaco around five million euros from Lyon in the summer of 2013.

The 19-year-old striker was given a full international call-up for the first time by Deschamps for France's friendly games against Portugal in Lisbon on Friday and Serbia in Bordeaux on Monday.

A statement on the French Football Federation website read: "Anthony Martial requested permission from Didier Deschamps to travel to England to sign a contract with Manchester United.

"Given the exceptional circumstances, the coach has agreed to the request of the player."

Martial is due to return to the French training base at Clairefontaine, south of Paris, on Tuesday morning, by which time he could be a United player.

Should the transfer fee be as high as has been suggested, the deal could rival the 75 million euros Real Madrid paid Juventus for Martial's fellow Frenchman Zinedine Zidane back in 2001, although by then the midfield icon had already won both the World Cup and the European Championship.

Deschamps conceded the sums being spent on sometimes unproven players were, in the public's eyes, totally out of proportion, but he insisted that such investments could be worthwhile in the long term.

"Transfers are not gambles, they are investments," said Deschamps, who coached Monaco to the 2004 Champions League final.

"When Monaco bought Martial for five million euros everyone asked why.

"And now he is worth how much? Clubs, managers, coaches see a player, think that he has potential and the ability to progress that will increase his value. In the eyes of public opinion, these are very high sums of money.

"If one exits the football sphere, yes the money is out of all proportion, but seeing the means at the disposal of clubs like Manchester, that doesn't pose a problem.

"The French clubs are largely sellers, it is all about economic power."

- Unfulfilled potential -

United manager Louis van Gaal has been tracking Martial for some time and made his move after Monaco failed to qualify for the Champions League group stage, losing in a play-off to Valencia last week.

Martial had only signed a new contract through to 2019 with Monaco in June, prompting the club's vice-president Vadim Vasilyev to declare the forward as "untransferable".

"He was being contacted by some of Europe's biggest clubs but we wanted to make sure that he continues his development with AS Monaco. What Anthony has been able to achieve at just 19 years of age is impressive, to say the least, but the best is yet to come," Vasilyev said.

But United's willingness to pay such a large fee appears to have persuaded Monaco to change their minds.

After missing out on Barcelona's Spain winger Pedro Rodriguez, who snubbed United to join Chelsea recently, van Gaal has set his sights on Martial.

And armed with bundles of cash from the lucrative Premier League broadcast deals, United are able to take a gamble on a player whose potential is yet to be fulfilled.

Martial netted nine goals in Ligue 1 for Monaco last season, and has 11 in total, while he also showed a glimpse of his talent in the club's Champions League last-16 win against Arsenal in the spring.

Since then, Monaco have already sold Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Layvin Kurzawa, Lucas Ocampos and Aymen Abdennour this summer for around 120 million euros.

Martial's arrival at United looks set to coincide with the departure of Mexico striker Javier Hernandez, who was pictured by German newspaper Bild arriving at Bayer Leverkusen ahead of a proposed permanent move.

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund have signed United's young Belgian international forward Adnan Januzaj on loan.

Athletics
Kenyan stars ready for World Cross showdown in Belgrade
By Ben Ahenda 8 hrs ago
Motorsport
Safari Rally 2024: Tanak urges Kenyan children to take up motorsports as a career
Rugby
SCHOOLS: From the classroom to the field, Kisumu Girls ready to lift national rugby trophy
Motorsport
Safari Rally 2024: Neuville clinches Kasarani stage as Hyundai makes intention known