Olympique Lyon have no intention of signing Anthony Martial (28, Manchester United).
“Lyon have turned down the chance to sign Marcial when he becomes available on the free transfer market this summer,” the British ‘Team Talk’ reported on July 1 (KST). Marcial will leave the club at the end of the season after nine years with the Red Devils,” reported Team Talk.
“Rumors are now rife about Marcial’s return to France, but Lyon appear to have pulled out of the race to sign him. Lyon president John Texter is not interested in signing Marcial, according to reports in French media.”
Finally, “Marcial’s move to Lyon no longer seems feasible at the moment, but he has several other options this summer. Other Ligue 1 clubs and teams in the Saudi Professional League could also be interested.”
Martial arrived at United in 2015 for a world-record fee of €60 million. A European super-prospect at the time, he showed considerable promise the previous season with AS Monaco, scoring 12 goals and providing five assists. He then became a mainstay in his debut season, making 49 appearances in all competitions. His offensive output also got off to a successful start, with 17 goals and nine assists. He went on to consolidate his position by averaging 30 Premier League appearances per season. In the 2019-20 season, he reached career highs with 17 goals and seven assists in 32 league games.
But that was it. After a spark, Marcial crashed and burned, and began to drop out of the squad due to a serious lack of form. This was compounded by the arrival of new competition, which led to a loan move to Sevilla in the second half of the 2021-22 season.
Upon his return, it was more of the same. He scored nine goals and three assists in 29 games in 2022-23 and two goals and one assist in 19 games in 2023-24. Last season, his injuries became more frequent, to the point where he was unable to recover.
As a result, he left the club at the end of the season. Marcial”s contract at United runs until June 2024. He has an option for a one-year extension, but the club has no intention of exercising it. He will be a free agent in the summer transfer window.
Lyon, his ‘home team’, is out of the running. There”s no reason for them to pay a high weekly wage for a player whose form has deteriorated. The player will have to consider a move to another French club or the Saudi league.
