Recently departed Man Utd star agrees record-setting deal, with ex-Tottenham attacker surpassed

Former Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has verbally agreed a free transfer to a European side where he’ll become the highest paid player in their history, according to reports.

Martial left Man Utd upon expiry of his contract on June 30 and courted interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, the USA and Mexico.

However, week after week passed without the 28-year-old signing on the dotted line and with the new season already a month old, Martial is still unattached.

But that is about to change, with two sources confirming Martial is primed to sign with Greek giant AEK Athens.

Firstly, reporter Matteo Moretto revealed on X: “Acuerdo verbal entre AEK Athens y Anthony Martial.” That translates to: “Verbal agreement between AEK Athens and Anthony Martial.”

Backing up those claims on Tuesday morning, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano provided an update of his own.

“Greek side AEK Athens are closing in on deal to sign Anthony Martial as free agent,” declared Romano.

“After talks collapsed with Flamengo, AEK Athens are confident to get it sealed in the next hours.”

A prior report from Sport24 broke news of AEK Athens’ interest in Martial back in early-September.

They claimed the Greek club had spared no expense with their attempts to sign Martial and had tabled an offer that if signed, would make Martial the highest paid player in the club’s history.

Precisely how much Martial would earn was not divulged. However, former Tottenham winger Erik Lamela signed with AEK Athens over the summer and is believed to be the current top earner on €2.5m per season.

That equates to €48,000 (£40,500 / $53,000) per week and Martial is now in line to surpass those figures.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Man Utd first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Martial avoids De Gea repeat

As Romano mentioned, Martial had also drawn interest from Brazilian side Flamengo.

Contact between club officials and Martial’s camp had been made, though barring any late hiccups, Martial’s career will now continue in Europe with AEK Athens.

Martial will thus avoid the long break in his playing career that fellow Man Utd alumnus David de Gea experienced when he left United as a free agent.

De Gea departed Old Trafford in June of 2023 and did not sign with new club Fiorentina until well over a year later in August of 2024.

New Man Utd deal / Mason Greenwood return

In other news, Man Utd are primed to offer a thriving forward a bumper new contract. Their plan B if no new deal is agreed has also emerged.

TEAMtalk has exclusively revealed ex-Man Utd winger Mason Greenwood has agreed to return to the international arena.

But rather than play for England who he’s been capped once by, Greenwood has given the green light to switching allegiance to Jamaica who are managed by former Man Utd assistant, Steve McClaren.

Elsewhere, Man Utd have been told why Newcastle links to mega-money flop Antony will come to nothing amid the winger’s three biggest weaknesses being named.

Man Utd’s colossal summer clear-out

The Red Devils offloaded a plethora of first-team stars over the summer in a series of exits many will feel were long overdue. But exactly who left, where did they go and for how much?

Permanent sales

• Aaron Wan-Bissaka joined West Ham for £15m and has quickly beaten Vladimir Coufal in the right-back selection battle.
• Willy Kambwala moved to Spain when signing for Villarreal in a deal worth £9.7m.
• Hannibal Mejbri dropped down a division when joining Burnley in a deal that contains an eye-watering clause.
• Scott McTominay netted Man Utd roughly £25m in pure profit when sold to Antonio Conte’s Napoli.
• Donny van de Beek left for Girona in a heavily-incentivised deal. Van de Beek has since opened up on his dour United spell.
• Facundo Pellistri joined Greek side Panathinaikos for a package worth £6.8m. United inserted a 45 percent sell-on clause and also included a buy-back clause that remains active until 2027.
• Mason Greenwood moved to Marseille for £26.7m and has impressively bagged five goals in four matches so far.

Loan exits

• Jadon Sancho was loaned to Chelsea for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign. The deal contains a conditional obligation to buy worth £25m that will be triggered if Chelsea finish 14th or higher in the Premier League this term. Sancho was named man of the match on his Blues debut.

Free agents

• Raphael Varane knocked a huge chunk off the wage bill when signing with newly-promoted Serie A side Como.
• Brandon Williams remains unattached after bringing his 16-year association with United to a close.
• Omari Forson rejected Man Utd’s offer of a new contract in favour of joining Monza.
• Anthony Martial departed and has verbally agreed to sign with Greek giant AEK Athens.