Chelsea join Juventus, Tottenham in race for Manchester United’s Anthony Martial — report

With or without Champions League football in place next season, it looks like Chelsea will be undergoing heavy personnel changes in the upcoming term. Rumours of Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois exits have always been around, but they seem more tangible at the moment given the club’s instability and their own respective contractual predicaments. And that's coupled with other players getting old, falling drastically out of form, or simply not panning out as expected.

Chelsea would certainly prefer to keep their Belgian stars instead of using the duo to fund the new squad, but one player who could join in the summer is Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, as reported by the Guardian and several other sources.

The reports claim Juventus and Tottenham have long been interested on the 22-year-old attacker, who is the latest youngster alienated by former Chelsea coach José Mourinho. Mourinho of course still wants to keep Martial at the club, so that he can claim moral victory later as with Salah and De Bruyne. United did spend £36 million (plus £22 million in add-ons) on Martial three years ago, and would require at least £45 million for the former Monaco star, who has one year and a club option for a second left on his contract.

Putting aside the prospect of selling Hazard or the likes of Michy, Kenedy, Piazon to fund the transfer, Martial would certainly be a nice addition to the squad. Even though he has not played regularly, he still has world class potential and could contribute instantly, especially if he works with a coach who can get him to this level, instead of working with one who wants finished products instead.

United got a major helping hand from Chelsea in recent years with Mata, Matic, and perhaps even Lukaku, so we'll see if they are willing to repay some of those favors. It is likely that they will not, but you never know!