Tottenham ‘step up pursuit of Manchester United outcast Anthony Martial with talks set to start’
TOTTENHAM are set to step up their pursuit of Manchester United winger Anthony Martial.
According to reports, representatives from the North London club are keen to start talks with Ed Woodward and United's hierarchy.
Les Bleus have an embarrassment of riches at their disposal but Martial's lack of consistent first-team football deemed him surplus.
United paid an initial £36million for him in 2015 with various add-ons potentially taking the final price to £61.5m, but it is almost certain the club will not pay that if they sell.
Martial has scored 36 goals in 136 appearances for United since joining and the club will owe Monaco another £8.5m if he gets 25 France caps and another £8.5m if he is nominated for the Ballon d'Or.
He has been rotated with Marcus Rashford in Manchester United's attack, while the signing of Alexis Sanchez has threatened to reduce Martial's playing time further, while their pursuit of Gareth Bale is sure to ruffle his feathers.
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It could make for interesting negotiations, with Spurs chief Daniel Levy holding a reputation for one of football's fiercest negotiators, while Woodward has blown hot and cold in the transfer market.
Spurs are also set to move into their new stadium when the season starts and are keen to land some marquee signings before that happens, to allay any fears they will fall off the pace to pay off their new home.
The construction of the 62,000-capacity ground is reaching its conclusion and all that remains to do is finish the roof, install the seats and the retractable grass/3G pitch.
Pochettino has also confirmed he is not interested in joining Real Madrid after Zinedine Zidane's departure, with the new ground the mission for the Tottenham boss, who signed a new five-year contract last month.
He said: "We want to make the new stadium a reference in football. And we see people want to be part of this special project.
"I am involved in a spectacular project where the motivation is tremendous.
"I renewed my contract recently for another five years, I am happy and happy that the people at Tottenham are happy with me.
"Now I'm ready to go for lunch. Not take over Real Madrid. I'm excited to go back to London."