Manchester United reportedly still expect Anthony Martial to leave the club in the summer transfer window despite suggestions of talks over a new deal.
On Thursday, Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag confirmed that one-year contract extensions had been triggered in the deals of Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Hannibal Mejbri, who are now tied down to the club until 2025.
However, neither Martial nor Raphael Varane - whose deals run out at the end of the season - had their options activated, leaving them free to open discussions with foreign clubs this month.
Ten Hag told the media that the club were "talking" to Varane and Martial's camps, suggesting that a new deal could be in the pipeline, although he refused to go into detail over the nature of the discussions.
Martial has only been a peripheral figure during Ten Hag's time in Manchester, though, and according to ESPN, the Red Devils are anticipating the Frenchman leaving the club at the end of the season.
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While talks are happening behind the scenes, the report adds that such discussions are unlikely to lead to an agreement over a new deal, meaning that Martial will bid farewell to the Red Devils after a mixed nine-year spell.
The 28-year-old was just 19 when he commanded a £51.7m fee to leave Monaco in 2015, and he has turned out 317 times for the Red Devils since, registering 90 goals and 55 assists in the process.
Martial boasts one Europa League title, one FA Cup, two EFL Cups and a Community Shield from his time at Old Trafford, but since hitting 17 Premier League goals in the 2019-20 season, he has been on a steady decline.
Injuries have not helped the France international, who also scored just one goal in 12 games on loan with Sevilla in the second half of the 2021-22 season, and he has two goals to show from 19 matches in the current campaign.
Martial has also sat out Man United's last four Premier League matches due to an unspecified illness, although a January exit appears to be off the cards while the Red Devils try to find solutions to their attacking conundrum.
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Summer arrival Rasmus Hojlund has only scored six goals since his £72m signing from Atalanta BC, but that tally sees him top the Red Devils' scoring charts alongside midfielder Scott McTominay.
Marcus Rashford's dramatic downturn in fortunes has also seen the Englishman score just three times in all tournaments this term, while Antony has not found the back of the net once in 2023-24.
A big-money striker signing will not be feasible in the January transfer window, even with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's 25% purchase set to be ratified by the Premier League in due course, but short-term deals for experienced marksmen could come to fruition.
Bayern Munich's Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting - who netted five Premier League goals for Stoke City in the 2017-18 season - is alleged to have agreed a loan move to Old Trafford for the remainder of the season.
Ben Knapton
