Manchester United outcast Anthony Martial has been handed a potential transfer lifeline by Juventus as the Frenchman’s row with Red Devils boss Ralf Rangnick continues.
Rangnick claimed on Saturday that Martial had refused to travel as part of the squad that drew with Aston Villa, a statement that the attacker quickly hit back at.
The spat has brought Martial’s situation at Old Trafford to a head, with the 26-year-old having informed Rangnick last month that he wanted to leave United after seven years at the club.
In that spell, the attacker has failed to live up to his hefty price tag, which could rise to as much as £58million, with the Frenchman struggling to hold down a regular place in the starting line-up.
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His fortunes have taken even more of a downturn under Rangnick, who is yet to name Martial in a matchday squad for any of his games so far.
His last outing was a two-minute cameo in the win over Arsenal at the start of December, which was Michael Carrick’s final match as caretaker boss.
The Frenchman’s relationship with Rangnick hit a new low on Saturday when the German called him out for refusing to be part of United’s squad against Villa.
“He didn't want to be in the squad. He would have been in the squad normally but he didn't want to and that was the reason why he didn't travel with us,” Rangnick said.
Martial hit back at those comments insisting he would “never refuse to play” for United, though the spat follows his demands to be allowed to leave the club.
United are charging a high price to allow him to do that, with a large loan fee and the ability to pay Martial’s wages in full the requirements.
So far, no potential suitor has been able to match those demands, with Sevilla seeing a bid rejected by the Red Devils.
Despite that, Martial has now been handed a potential lifeline by Juventus, who are reportedly eyeing a move for the Frenchman.
According to Calciomercato, Martial is one of the players Juve are ‘evaluating’ in their search for a new striker.
Massimiliano Allegri has made signing a new attacker one of his priorities for this month’s transfer window.
That is because Juventus possess the worst attack in the top seven, having scored 34 times in their 22 games so far this season.
It is stated that Juventus have ‘noticed’ that trend and believe that ‘something is not working’, with Martial the man they hope can solve those issues.
Martial has struggled to prove himself when starting through the middle at United, though he did score 23 goals in the 2019/2020 season.
That is not something that is causing concern at Juventus though, who also need to replace the injured Federico Chiesa.
Chiesa has been ruled out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL against Roma, with Martial seen as a ‘middle ground’ player who can cover both the central striker position and Chiesa on the wing.
