Anthony Martial to Tottenham: Spurs target Monaco forward but unproven 19-year-old could prove a transfer risk at £18.2m
Highly-rated Anthony martial could leave Monaco this summer once he returns from international duty with France Under-21s
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Your support makes all the difference.Tottenham are in the running to launch a move for Monaco forward Anthony Martial should the Ligue 1 club decide to let him leave this summer, it has been reported.
Martial was part of the Monaco side that knocked Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal out of the Champions League last season, and has impressed during his short time with the Principality despite being just 19 years of age.
Having joined Monaco in 2013 from French rivals Lyon, Martial has gone on to make 65 appearances in all competitions, and started half of their Ligue 1 matches on the way to Monaco securing third position and a Champions League play-off spot. Having scored nine goals in the league, Martial has been earmarked as potential star of the future, but The Telegraph has linked him with a possible £18.2m transfer to White Hart Lane this summer.
They claim that talks between the two clubs have already begun with Mauricio Pochettino keen to establish a young core of talented players to give his squad a platform to build on year-on-year.
Martial is contracted to the club until 2018 and Monaco are in no position to be forced to sell, especially with the likely sale of Radamel Falcao set to generate a considerable transfer fee should he leave permanently – though his departure will represent a massive loss on the €60m they paid back in 2013 for the Colombian striker.
Reports in France suggest that a deal could already be in place between the two clubs with Spurs set to speak with the teenager later this month.
Pochettino has already shown a desire to give youth a chance and was rewarded in his debut season with the club, with Harry Kane, Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason starring during a strong first season that saw Spurs finish fifth ahead of Liverpool.
However, investing nearly £20m on a player who has shown a lot of potential yet remains largely unproven – especially in the Premier League – would pose a risk for the club. Spurs could look to offload Roberto Soldado after the Spaniard fell out of favour with the emergence of Kane, while the move for Emmanuel Adebayor can only be judged as a failure.
If Pochettino is able to offload either or both of his striker misfits, a move for Martial would be deemed less of a risk should he share the burden of leading the line with Kane.
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