Inter Milan interested in Manchester United striker - Reports
Inter Milan are reportedly considering a move for Manchester United striker Anthony Martial. The Serie A champions view Martial as a potential replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who is set to join Chelsea in the next few days.
According to the Mirror, Manchester United will look to recoup the £50 million they spent to sign Anthony Martial from AS Monaco in the summer of 2015.
The Red Devils have already spent in excess of £100 million this summer to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund and Raphael Varane from Real Madrid. United will, therefore, look to sell fringe players such as Anthony Martial, Daniel James, Diogo Dalot and Andreas Pereira before looking to sign any more players this summer.
Martial ended the 2019-20 season as Manchester United's top goal-scorer with 23 goals in all competitions. The Frenchman was expected to lead the line for the club during the 2020-21 campaign.
But a mixture of poor form, injuries and the arrival of Edinson Cavani saw Martial fall down the pecking order at Manchester United. He made just 22 Premier League appearances for the club last season, scoring just six times.
The arrival of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund this summer has led many fans and pundits to believe Anthony Martial's time at Old Trafford is set to come to an end.
Inter Milan have agreed to sell star striker Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea for £97.5 million. The Italian giants will, therefore, use a chunk of the money from Lukaku's sale to sign a replacement for the Belgian.
Inter have been linked with a move for Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata and AS Roma's Edin Dzeko. Both strikers, however, are in their 30s, so Inter Milan would prefer a move for Anthony Martial, as the Frenchman is likely to be a longer-term investment than the duo.
Manchester United could dampen Inter Milan's interest in Anthony Martial due to Marcus Rashford's injury
Marcus Rashford decided to have an operation to address the shoulder problem that troubled him towards the end of the season. The England international is set to be ruled out of action till October.
Manchester United could, therefore, look to keep hold of Anthony Martial this summer due to the absence of Marcus Rashford for the opening three months of the 2021-22 campaign.
Inter Milan are likely to switch their focus to Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata if they cannot persuade United to part ways with Martial.