Real Madrid Preparing Whopping £80m Swoop for Manchester United Attacker Anthony Martial

Real Madrid are eyeing up an £80m swoop for Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial in January, with the current La Liga holders keen to freshen things up after a mediocre start to the season, according to the Mirror. 

The Spanish capital side currently find themselves seven points behind Clasico rivals Barcelona in the Spanish top flight, with the Catalonians having the opportunity to replenish their 10-point advantage when they face Valencia on Sunday evening. 

Zinedine Zidane's side have struggled to find their form of the last campaign so far this year, with Saturday's laboured 3-2 victory over Malaga, who netted for the first time away from home this term inside the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, epitomising the lull they currently find themselves in. 

Following on from the win, the Frenchman hinted at the possibility of new arrivals over the winter, and it is believed that Manchester United's Martial is very much top of that wish list. 

The report suggests that Los Blancos are preparing a whopping £80m bid in order to secure the 21-year-old, who joined the Premier League giants for around £54m from Monaco in 2015. 

It was thought that Zidane's first choice had been the French striker's ex-club and current national teammate Kylian Mbappe, however the teenager instead opted to join Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain. 

Following the disappointment of missing out on the 18-year-old, Real have since been scouring the market in order to find a fitting alternative, and they now see Martial as that man. 

The transfer fee may shock some, with the forward not exactly setting the world alight during his time at Old Trafford so far, netting 32 goals in his 110 games since arriving. 

However, one explanation may come in the form of the France international's long-term contract with the club, something that is currently keeping United's hierarchy's worries at bay. 

It remains to be seen whether the suspected £80m bid would be enough for Jose Mourinho and co. to offload one of their finest up-and-coming talents, however following the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba, the player may well initiate the move in order to secure a more guaranteed starting spot.