According to reports from Sky Sports yesterday afternoon, Monaco vice president Vadim Vasilyev has confirmed Manchester United could eventually pay £58million for Anthony Martial.
The 19 year-old arrived at Old Trafford on summer deadline day for a whopping £36million, after netting eleven goals in 49 Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco, making him the most expensive teenager in the world.
But during an interview with beIN Sport on Wednesday, the day after the summer window officially closed, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger claimed United’s deal for the forward was worth closer to €80million – which converts to £58million in pound sterling.
He said; “What happened last night with Monaco, who sold Martial to Manchester United for €80million, I’ve heard… Martial scored 11 goals in the French championship – that sums it up well.”
And according to Sky Sports, Monaco’s vice president Vadim Vasilyev has now confirmed United could eventually pay up to £58million for Martial, stating; “It’s true that the price for Martial is £57.6m but take into account this sum includes bonuses which are very realistic.”
He also revealed United trebled their offer for the France U21 in the space of a week. “Initially Martial was not for sale, it was absolutely not planned. Since last week United started to make offers which we declined several times – £21.6m, £28.8m, £36m, even £50.4m with bonuses.
“On Sunday the player got such an offer that he couldn’t have declined. He asked us to find a solution and on Monday morning Manchester United made an offer to Monaco which the club couldn’t refuse. ”
According to The Independent, one of Martial’s many add-ons, constituting £22million in total, includes winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or award – the annual prize for the best player in Europe. The award has gone to either Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo or Barcelona’s Lionel Messi since 2008.