Anthony Martial could be offered in Kane swap, but his value has plummeted

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Manchester United are reportedly looking into including Anthony Martial in a potental part-swap deal to sign Harry Kane this summer.

ESPN say that United are exploring a deal to sign the England captain but a valuation of around £100 million for a player with two years left on his contract is problematic.

That means that Martial could be included in the deal, despite the report claiming he would rather move to France or Spain, despite Sevilla seeming unlikely to buy him in the summer when his loan deal ends.

Spurs boss Antonio Conte has actually been linked with a swap deal for Martial before, at a time when his stock and therefore market value was higher…

Conte linked during Inter reign

In July 2020, while Conte was in charge of Inter, Calcio Mercato reported interest in Martial from the San Siro.

The report said that if Lautaro Martinez left Inter, Martial was a man that Conte wanted to replace him.

Lautaro actually ended up staying and is another striker who has actually been mentioned in connection with United ahead of this summer, with interest apparently dating back to October 2019

But the situation Conte is facing this summer is similar; losing a talismanic striker, so could he again look to Martial to replace him?

A swap deal was actually mooted at that time too; with Martial going to Milan while Milan Skriniar came to Old Trafford but of course it did not materialise.

Martial’s market value on the decline

In that 2020 report, Martial’s market value was placed at 70 million euros (£59 million) during a Covid-affected season in which he scored 23 goals across all competitions and laid on a further 12 assists.

It might have been hoped that loaning Martial out would boost his asking price, but he has just one goal and one assist to his name so far since leaving Old Trafford.

How much of a dent would Martial really make in the Kane asking price? Certainly far less than he would have done when Conte was keen two years ago.

Getting Kane for Martial plus around £40 million would be a fantastic deal for United, but it is more likely to require a cash sum double that now, with Martial’s value plummeting to around the £20 million range.

Perhaps Tottenham would be tempted to take Martial in part-exchange still, getting in a striker with Premier League experience to replace Kane – but it does not seem likely.

The 2020 report said Martial is ideal for Conte’s style of football, but is the Frenchman really going to buy into that high-octane pressing style?

There are plenty of doubts and most of them stem from the fact that Martial’s stock is lower than ever, with the Sevilla loan failing to reignite his career as planned.