Anthony Martial Is Offered A Big Contract, Will Break The Record For 100 Years Of AEK Aethens

JAKARTA - Anthony Martial was hanging back three months after his contract with Manchester United expired.

The conversation with Lille was endless. The Ligue 1 club disappeared amid negotiations. As a result, no agreement was reached.

Luckily, Martial's career did not stop. The Greek club, AEK Athens, is attracted to the French player.

In fact, AEK Athens is ready to offer a big contract. According to Sport24, the big contract could break the club's record nicknamed Dikefalos.

AEK has promised Martial the biggest contract they have ever awarded in the club's 100-year history.

If he joins the club based in Athens, Martial will bring home more money than current-highest-paid AEK player and former Tottenham midfielder Erik Lamela.

Although the details of Martial's exact salary have not been released, Lamela earns 2.1 million pounds per year. This means that Martial will be paid more than that.

AEK Athens is indeed aggressively recruiting players in the transfer market at the end of this season. Lamela has also just signed in this summer's window with a contract until 2027.

Before looking at Martial, AEK Director, Panaggiotis Kone, arrived in London three days ago to push for a deal with Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana.

The 21-year-old was recruited in January 2023 from Molde for 10 million pounds and was loaned out to Union Berlin and Burnley last season without impressing the two clubs.

AEK Athens is eager to finalize a deal with Fofana before September 11, 2024, which is the last day of the transfer market in Greece.

In addition to completing the transfer of Fofana, AEK Athens is now busy making deals with Martial.

The French player was once the center of world attention 10 years ago, but was released by Manchester United this summer.

He has only started in 17 Premier League games in his last three seasons with the Red Devils.

The statistics make his enormous salary, which is 250,000 per week, a laughing stock and raises questions as to why Manchester United didn't do more to get rid of him early.

Clubs in Saudi Arabia, MLS (Major League Soccer), and Mexico were also linked with Martial's move.

However, currently AEK Athens is at the forefront of getting the 28-year-old striker.

Martial joined Manchester United in 2015 at the age of 19 with a transfer of 44.5 million pounds from Monaco. He was also the most expensive young player in the world at the time.

Martial made a big breakthrough after scoring 12 goals in 48 appearances with Monaco as he entered the first team at the age of 17.

Martial then won the Golden Boy award in December 2015, a prestigious award awarded to the best player in the world under the age of 21.

Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, and Sergio Aguero are among the players who have received the award. Then, there are also famous names today who won similar titles, namely Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Jude Bellingham.

It is not surprising to see the Ballon d'Or clause included in Martial's initial agreement with Manchester United, even touted as a good business.

However, Martial's time at Old Trafford United overall disappointed. He scored 90 goals in 317 appearances.