Man Utd transfer news

MANCHESTER UNITED will let Anthony Martial leave for free at the end of the season.The Frenchman is out of contract next summer, although the Red Devils do have the option of a one-year extension.
Anthony Martial is set to leave Manchester United for free next summerCredit: EPA
The Frenchman will depart after nine years at Old TraffordCredit: Getty – Contributor
However, The Athletic report that United do not intend to activate that clause in his deal.
As a result, Martial is set to leave Old Trafford as a free agent if he is not sold in January.
Erik ten Hag had previously hinted at a United future for Martial after revealing he was one of four players the club were in contract talks with.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof and Hannibal Mejbri are also out of contract at the end of the season.
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The 28-year-old joined the club as a teenager in 2015, signing from Monaco for an initial £36million.
He has gone on to score 90 goals and provide 55 assists in 317 appearances for United in the eight years since.

During that time, the forward has also won five major trophies, including last season’s Carabao Cup triumph.
Martial has struggled for form this season, though, scoring just once in 13 Premier League appearances.
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The summer arrival of Rasmus Hojlund has also limited him to just seven starts across all competitions.
His woes continued in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth as United fans cheered when Ten Hag subbed Martial off.
Martial will now either leave for free when his deal expires or be sold during the January transfer window.
Italian giants Inter Milan have previously been linked with a move for the striker once the window re-opens.
Martial signed for United from Monaco in 2015 for an initial £36millionCredit: Getty – Contributor More

ERIC BAILLY has been BANISHED from Besiktas’ team only 98 days after joining. The ex-Manchester United defender was among five players sacked by the club.
Eric Bailly has been sacked by BesiktasCredit: Getty
A Besiktas statement read: “Information from our club. 5 players from our Football A Team have been excluded from the squad.
“Our Football Teams General Coordinator Samet Aybaba; He announced that Vincent Aboubakar, Valentin Rosier, Eric Bailly, Rachid Ghezzal and Jean Onana were excluded from the squad due to poor performance and incompatibility within the team.
“Our work on the new staff structure continues. We respectfully present it to the public.”
Bailly joined United from Villarreal in 2016 but he suffered inconsistent form throughout his time in Manchester.
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He was sent out on loan to Marseille in the summer of 2022 and he made 23 appearances in total.
But he had fallen too far down Erik ten Hag’s pecking order, which led to his move to Turkey.
Bailly has been plagued with injuries this season leading to just eight appearances in Besiktas’ side.
And he now departs with just under half the season played.
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Bailly’s exit comes after an agent claimed to have bizarrely put a CURSE on him.
An agent who helped put together the transfer to Besiktas accused the centre-back of owning him money, according to The Mirror.
Bailly’s camp said the unnamed abuser has sent him dozens of disturbing messages on WhatsApp.
Some of them include threats of legal action as well as physical violence as he warned him he will “send people” round to him.
The agent has also told the 29-year-old he has successfully cursed him after Besiktas’ recent 3-1 loss to Fenerbahce, which saw the defender being penalised for handball and conceding a penalty.
One of the abusive messages read: “I am happy to see what my curse is doing to you. You are not a man. You are a big Mickey Mouse.”
Another said: “I will not let you f*** me in my own country. You will see what happens after I open a fraud case against you.”
The issue has been reported to Besiktas who promised to report it to the police and Fifa could also get involved as they oversee agents.
Bailly is officially represented by his uncle Severin Bohui, who is a fully licensed agent, and is adamant the person abusing his nephew was in no way involved in the deal with the Turkish giants.
Bailly leaves Besiktas with less than half the season playedCredit: Getty More

MANCHESTER UNITED have identified RB Leipzig’s Lois Openda as their top transfer target.Scouts from the club watched the Belgian striker score twice against Manchester City in the Champions League last month.
Manchester United have made Lois Openda their top transfer target for next summerCredit: Getty
Openda, who was also on target in the reverse fixture, is now being tracked ahead of a potential move next summer.
According to the Mirror, United are keeping an eye on the forward as they line up replacements for Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial.
Club scouts were in attendance for his brace in Leipzig’s 3-2 loss at the Etihad Stadium on November 28, the report adds.
Staff had been present to check on defender Castello Lukeba, who is also a United target.
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Openda has scored 14 goals in 22 appearances this season, including his three Champions League strikes against City.
His form in front of goal is attracting interest from clubs both in Europe and the Premier League, including Tottenham.
As a result, Leipzig are said to have slapped a £75million price tag on the 23-year-old, who they signed from Club Brugge for £33million in the summer.
The Belgium international would boost United’s striking options as both Martial and Rasmus Hojlund continue to struggle for form.
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Anthony Martial and Rasmus Hojlund have scored one league goal between them this termCredit: Getty
Martial’s sole league strike is the only Premier League goal the pair have scored across 25 combined appearances.
Hojlund, who signed from Atalanta for £72million in August, has scored five goals in five Champions League matches, though.
Meanwhile, Martial has just two goals across all competitions and is out of contract at the end of the season.
United are said to have opened talks over a potential new deal as well as holding the option to extend his existing contract until 2025. More

GARY NEVILLE has delivered a brutal five-word assessment of Manchester United’s performance against Bournemouth yesterday.United slumped to a 3-0 defeat to the Cherries in what could be Erik ten Hag’s costliest result during his tenure as coach.
Gary Neville has labelled Manchester United as ‘consistently inconsitent’Credit: Rex
Gary Neville has laid into Manchester United after their defeatCredit: Sky Sports
Neville’s assessment was simple, as he posted on X: “Consistently Inconsistent! An abysmal result..”
The loss at home to Bournemouth comes off the back of an impressive win at home to Chelsea which many thought might have seen them turn a corner.
It saw fans question how bad Chelsea must be if United were able to be overcome so easily by a Cherries team that sit 13th in the Premier League.
But an early Dominic Solanke goal meant the Red Devils were always struggling in the game and second half goals from Philip Billing and Marcos Senesi only compounded the pain.
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Bournemouth’s victory was United’s eleventh defeat of the season and Ten Hag was taunted by chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” from Cherries fans.
Ten Hag was fuming after the match and said: “You have to be at your best in every game, starting with focus.
“When you start like we did, you get killed. They are good opponents but we have to do better.
“As a squad, we are not good enough to be consistent.
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“We know we are able to do it, we showed it in the week. We have to leave this behind but we have to talk about it.
“You need consistency, we can play a very good game against many opponents, we are able to do it but you have to do it every third day.
“Get it right and the demands are of a certain standard. We have to go to higher standards to deliver it every third day.”
Ten Hag, who won November’s manager of the month, took some of the blame for his team’s dismal start, which saw them fall behind inside five minutes.
He said: “We have to always be ready for the game, so I have to take responsibility for that.
“I have to prepare the team so they are ready. I’m very disappointed the way we started and we have to be better.”
United have the chance to rectify the situation in their crucial Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on Tuesday, which is followed by a trip to Anfield next Sunday. More