Anthony Martial offered history-making deal by Greek giant, with Man Utd flop to surpass ex-Tottenham man if signing

AEK Athens have offered to make former Manchester United striker Anthony Martial the highest paid player in the club’s history, and the Frenchman’s stance on accepting the move has been revealed.

Martial was among four first-team players who left Man Utd on June 30 upon expiry of their contracts. The others were Raphael Varane, Brandon Williams and Omari Forson. The latter was offered a new deal by Man Utd but chose to reject it in favour of signing with Serie A side Monza instead.

But while Varane (Como) and Forson have found new clubs, Williams and Martial remain on the open market.

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Martial is only 28 years of age and in theory, should still have several years of high quality football left to give.

He has courted interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, the USA and Mexico. However, according to Sport24, Martial has been offered the chance to remain in Europe by signing with AEK Athens.

The Greek giant – who won their 13th top flight title in the 2022/23 campaign – have spared no expense with the terms they’ve put forward.

Per the report, AEK Athens have offered to make Martial the highest paid player in the club’s history.

Anthony Martial would surpass former Tottenham winger

Precisely how much Martial would earn was not divulged. However, former Tottenham winger Erik Lamela is the club’s current top earner after signing a lucrative three-year contract in July.

Lamela, 32, is understood to earn €2.5m per season which roughly equates to a weekly wage of €48,000 (£40,500 / $53,000).

Of course, that sum is not close to the reported £250,000 Martial pocketed at Old Trafford every seven days.

But as mentioned, it would be a new club-record for AEK Athens and is a clear indication they believe Martial still has plenty to offer.

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Martial’s stance on signing with AEK Athens

Yet despite AEK Athens making a strong push, Martial isn’t entirely receptive to signing up. That’s despite the fact he’s yet to receive any serious interest from higher profile clubs in Europe.

Sport24 added Martial ‘has doubts about whether he should continue at 28 in the Greek league.’

In other words, Martial believes he is capable of making the grade in a higher quality league at this stage in his career.

Former Man Utd teammate David de Gea adopted a similar view after leaving Old Trafford as a free agent at the conclusion of the 2022/23 season.

De Gea would remain without a club for well over a year before eventually signing with Serie A side Fiorentina. De Gea’s patience has paid off, with the Spaniard excelling during his early showings in Florence.

AEK Athens finalising Chelsea raid too

One important piece of news to acknowledge is AEK Athens are also in the mix to sign David Datro Fofana from Chelsea.

The Blues are open to exit opportunities for the 21-year-old striker and talks over the switch are heating up.

Providing their update on the situation, Sport24 stated Fofana’s switch to the Greek capital is in the ‘final stretch.’

However, the report was also keen to stress Fofana and Martial’s prospective moves are independent of each other.

As such, it’s entirely possible AEK Athens sign both players and it is not a case of one or the other.

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