Anthony Martial is set to join Sevilla on loan after Manchester United came to an agreement with the Spanish outfit.
United rejected an initial loan request from the Liga side earlier in the month, but GOAL understands the issues have been ironed out and Martial is set for a medical in Spain.
Juventus were one of a number of other sides who were interested in the France international but sources say Sevilla were his preferred choice.
What do we know?
Martial was given the club’s blessing to talk to other clubs about a transfer this month after a chat in December with Ralf Rangnick, where he stated his intentions to leave due to a lack of playing time.
The 26-year-old has only started two Premier League games this season and an incident which was later described as a ‘misunderstanding’ between Rangnick and Martial saw the German manager declare the player had refused to be part of the matchday squad against Aston Villa a couple of weeks ago.
United rejected Sevilla’s initial loan request for Martial as they wanted a £5 million loan fee, as well as the club to cover his wages. At the time the Spanish side were only offering to cover half of his wages.
Since then Martial’s representatives have held talks with Juventus, but it is understood the player preferred a move to Spain and discussions between United and Sevilla progressed over the weekend. Martial was prepared to take a wage cut in order to push the deal through.
Indeed, Sevilla will pay €6m towards Martial's salary, with the Frenchman's willingness to take a pay cut meaning that United will not need to pay any wage contribution.
The loan will last until the end of the 2021-22 season, with Sevilla not required to pay a loan fee. There will be no purchase option included although there is a clause that would lead to a second loan spell for the 2022-23 campaign, should all parties be happy to proceed.
Why is Martial leaving?
The Frenchman had talks with Rangnick shortly after he arrived to outline his plans to leave this month over a lack of playing time.
The 26-year-old came on as a second half substitute in the 1-0 win against West Ham on Saturday and those eight minutes were the first he had played under the German.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival saw him fall further down the pecking order and after he had submitted his transfer request, he was omitted from the matchday squads. Rangnick told the media he wanted to include the Frenchman in the squad for the away-day trip to Villa in the Premier League but that the player refused to be involved.
Martial refuted those claims on his social media channels, saying he would never refuse to play for the club.
This season he has made just four starts in all competitions for United and is hoping to get more minutes in Spain to put himself in a better place to secure a position in France’s World Cup squad later this year.
What else could happen before the window closes?
While incomings remain unlikely, it’s possible there could be a couple of departures. Newcastle are pushing to try and secure Jesse Lingard on loan. The England international is open to a temporary move to the North East but a deal has yet to be agreed between the two clubs.
Teenage winger Amad would also be allowed to leave the club on loan this window. It is understood there has been interest from Derby and Birmingham this month but there has yet to be a concrete offer from any club.
Additional reporting by Paco Rico
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