Anthony Martial Close to Agreeing Terms With Greek Side AEK Athens

Former Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial is on the verge of a shock transfer to AEK Athens. The Frenchman has been a free agent since his contract with the Red Devils expired earlier in the summer.

According to several reports, the Greek side are willing to hand Anthony Martial the most lucrative contract in the club’s history. As per Sport24, Martial could earn as much as 2.5-million euros per year under the terms of his new contract with the Greek giants. Furthermore, credible Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has also confirmed Martial’s transfer. He wrote (via his official Twitter account), “Greek side AEK Athens are closing in on deal to sign Anthony Martial as free agent. After talks collapsed with Flamengo, AEK Athens are confident to get it sealed in the next hours.” 

This finally ends Anthony Martial’s search for a new club after an underwhelming nine-year spell at Old Trafford. Before joining AEK Athens, Martial was on the precipice of joining Flamengo. However, the Frenchman’s move to Flamengo broke down due to his insistence on a three-year contract, which the Brazilian club wasn’t willing to give. Besides Flamengo, Martial was also linked to top European clubs like Lille, Atalanta, Marseille and Besiktas. Therefore, Martial joining AEK Athens is a huge coup for the Greek side.  

Should Anthony Martial make the move to AEK, he would find himself alongside some familiar faces, including ex-Spurs star Erik Lamela, Watford cult heroes Roberto Pereyra and Nordin Amrabat, and former Brentford keeper Thomas Strakosha. Lamela currently tops the club’s wage bill, earning around €2 million (£1.7 million) per year. AEK had also been eyeing a loan deal for Chelsea’s David Datro Fofana, but after that fell through, Fofana opted for a season-long switch to Turkish side Goztepe. Even with AEK stretching their financial resources, Martial would be looking at a significant pay cut from his hefty £250,000-a-week Manchester United contract. 

PSV Eindhoven in talks with Ivan Perisic 

Elsewhere, Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven have expressed interest in former Spurs winger Ivan Perisic. After suffering a serious ACL injury in 2023, the 35-year-old Croatian left Tottenham in January 2024 to fulfill his dream of returning to his boyhood club, Hajduk Split. However, after a falling out with new head coach Gennaro Gattuso, Perisic terminated his contract with Split and is now seeking a new club. 

Despite his age, Perisic has attracted attention from several top European sides. Earlier in the summer, Sevilla offered him a contract, but the Croatian turned it down. Now, it appears he’s close to reaching an agreement with PSV Eindhoven. According to Fabrizio Romano, “PSV Eindhoven are working on deal to sign Ivan Perisić as free agent. Important target for PSV as talks are taking place with Croatian winger who’s available as free agent.” With a deal nearly finalized, Perisic’s wealth of experience could become a crucial asset for PSV’s domestic and European ambitions.   

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