Following confirmation that Anthony Martial is set to leave Manchester United at the end of the current season, certain clubs in Serie A could now be on high alert as an interesting opportunity on the free agent market arises.
Martial joined Manchester United from Monaco for an eventual fee of €52.1m as a 19-year-old in 2015 , in what was a record transfer fee for a teenager at the time. He has a contract until the end of the 2023-24 season with the option of a one-year extension, but reports from the UK indicated United will not exercise that clause.
Though he burst onto the scene with a series of promising performances immediately after his move, Martial never quite hit the levels he had been tipped for, despite now being United’s longest-serving non-English player.
After a frustrating few seasons, including a loan spell at Sevilla in 2022, it has become clear that Martial is in need of a fresh start, and with his next move likely to be outside the Premier League, one or two teams in Serie A could be tempted into handing him a lifeline.
One team in the top half of the Serie A table in need of attacking reinforcements is Milan. The Rossoneri have been on the lookout for an alternative and/or eventual successor for Olivier Giroud for several windows already now, and in Martial, there could be an interesting proposition.
Martial is certainly of a different profile to the current strikers among Stefano Pioli’s ranks. While Giroud is a strong, physical presence in the area and is capable of linking play and holding the ball up, Martial would be considered more of a runner, and one who tends to cut in from the left hand side. He is arguably closer in profile to Rafael Leao than Giroud.
That said, Milan do not currently have a real alternative option to Giroud up front and a player with Martial’s traits could bring a new spark of creativity to the attacking line-up.
In the other half of the city, Inter have a solid strike partnership blossoming with captain Lautaro Martinez and summer signing Marcus Thuram. The Nerazzurri are, however, without too much depth in the striker department further down the pecking order.
Marko Arnautovic was brought in on loan from Bologna at the end of the summer transfer window for cover, but the 24-year-old is the only recognised senior striker in the ranks. Martial would certainly provide Simone Inzaghi with a bit more depth up front.
Roma are perhaps the only other team in Serie A who could need a striker by the time summer rolls around.
It remains to be seen what will happen with Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku, who has been instrumental for Jose Mourinho’s side since returning to Italy four months ago. The Giallorossi have an option to buy, but it is expected that it will still take a fee in excess of €40m to sign the Belgian permanently.
With a recent need to go after signings in the free agent market, Martial could make a decent fit at the Stadio Olimpico. He would need to lower the wages he currently earns, but that would also be the case for practically every potentially interested team in the league.
Juventus, meanwhile, would only really need to bring in a new forward if either one of Federico Chiesa or Dusan Vlahovic were to be moved on in either of the next two transfer windows.
Napoli, too, are unlikely to be interested, even if talisman Victor Osimhen were to be sold in the summer, as he would likely command a significant fee that could be reinvested.