Manchester United are reportedly unwilling to part ways with Anthony Martial in any deal to sign Toby Alderweireld in the summer.
According to a report by ESPN FC, Manchester United are reluctant to let Anthony Martial go the other way as part of a deal to sign Toby Alderweireld from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window. Spurs are ready to cash in on the Belgian defender if they receive a bid around £50 million.
Martial has endured two largely frustrating seasons under Jose Mourinho following a stellar debut campaign at Manchester United that saw him score the most goals for the club. The player seemed to have turned a corner in the first half of the season gone by, when he had become a key player for the Red Devils.
But, the arrival of Sanchez has pushed Martial down the pecking order and made him a bit-part player. With starts hard to come by in the second half of the season, the Frenchman has grown increasingly frustrated, and has hardly been productive. He has also lost his place in the French National Side, which has only increased his frustration at Manchester United.
Meanwhile, Toby Alderweireld has been at odds with Tottenham over a new contract which, in addition to a hamstring injury, has seen him lose his place in the first-team setup to Davinson Sanchez. The Belgian defender featured just 21 times this season, and is set to depart from Tottenham this summer.
Several clubs have registered an interest in the 29-year-old, with Manchester United believed to be the front-runners in his pursuit, having already opened talks with Tottenham over a possible summer deal.
Manchester United may have conceded a mere 28 goals in the Premier League this season, but it was largely down to the brilliance of David de Gea in goal, with their backline becoming increasingly unstable as the season wore on.
With defenders either falling prey to injury or other problems, Jose Mourinho had his hand forced and had to shuffle his central defensive partnership on a regular basis. The Manchester United manager also publicly aired his grievances, and the likes of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling are reportedly facing the axe, which is why he has now turned his attention towards Tottenham for Alderweireld.
Tottenham have very little option but to cash in on Alderweireld as a £25 million release clause will activate next summer. Spurs are willing to listen to offers around £50 million, as per the report – an amount that should hardly prove to be a deterrent to Manchester United.
But, Tottenham are also trying to sign Martial as part of the deal that sees Alderweireld go the other way. This might prove to be the biggest stumbling block in Manchester United’s bid to sign the Belgian as they are unwilling to see Martial depart from Old Trafford unless he pushes for a move.
Despite his frustrations, there haven’t been any concrete reports which have suggested that Martial wants to leave Manchester United, and it remains to be seen if they can tempt Tottenham to sell Alderweireld without seeing the Frenchman go the other way, like Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in January.
