West Ham have demanded a deal for Anthony Martial as part of an exchange deal for defender Issa Diop in negotiations with Manchester United, according to the Independent.
The newspaper claim on their website that the Hammers have told their Premier League rivals they would be willing to let their star defender head to Old Trafford if it meant the 18-cap French international heading in the opposite direction, with the Salford-based club looking to snap up a deal for the Irons’ 22-year-old.
However, both clubs are said to be reluctant to let their respective talents depart, West Ham holding out for a cash fee of £60million for Diop, while Manchester United are wanting to keep Martial, 23, on board with a belief his talent will come good.
Opinion
What a move this would be for the Hammers – although you imagine it is just a negotiating tactic to ward off Ole Gunnar Salskjaer and the transfer team at Old Trafford. Martial is one of those players who has so much potential but is yet to live up to expectation and could potentially be worth a lot more in the future, which is why West Ham are asking for him. They know that Manchester United will not want to let him go, but if they were to green light a deal, the Irons would be getting their hands on a top quality player. Whether they need another attack minded player or not is another matter entirely, but a new centre forward, a role which Martial could well play in, would not go amiss. Right now it looks like the two clubs are at a stalemate with neither wanting to budge on their demands. Whether things change as negotiations progress remains to be seen.
