Manchester United Rule Out Anthony Martial Exit This Summer Amid Reports of Desire to Leave
Manchester United have no intentions of sanctioning a deal for Anthony Martial to leave Old Trafford this summer, despite the forward's desire to do so.
The 22-year-old was forced to take on a peripheral role under Jose Mourinho last season - where he made just 18 league starts - leading to frustrations over a lack of game time, which ultimately led to his omission from France's World Cup squad this summer.
Martial's agent, Philippe Lamboley, sensationally revealed the forward had his heart set on leaving the Premier League club on Wednesday due to feeling a lack of faith from the Red Devils.
However, BBC reporter Simon Stone revealed on Twitter that United's stance is that they will have the final say in Martial's future, where they currently have no intention of selling the Frenchman. He still has one year remaining on his contract, plus an additional season which can be triggered.
All parties are said to have been locked in talks for over eight months without an agreement over a new deal, leading Martial to feel undervalued at the club he joined in 2015 for £36m.
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United are understood to have anticipated a push back from Martial as ESPN revealed sources informed them in April that if the 22-year-old was to seek his way out of the club, that they would be willing to listen to offers - where a possible swap for Tottenham's Toby Alderweireld was mooted.
The Telegraph further claims that Jose Mourinho would only give the green light to Martial's departure should he receive a high calibre replacement in turn, with a reunion with Chelsea's Willian or a move for Real Madrid's Gareth Bale heavily reported.
The United manager has been eager to reunite with Willian for sometime, and a move for the Brazilian would appear more straightforward should Martial's wish to leave the club be granted.
