Man Utd flop Martial joining Real Madrid legend as transfer is hijacked

ANTHONY MARTIAL is reportedly on the brink of joining Mexican giants Monterrey to link up with Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos.

The French forward had been set to sign for fellow Mexican side Pumas , but it is understood he refused to lower his megabucks wage demands.

1 Ex-Manchester United forward is set to join Mexican side Monterrey Credit: Alamy

Martial, 29, signed for AEK Athens in 2024 as a free agent after a turbulent nine-year stint at United .

The versatile forward signed a lucrative three-year deal with AEK who handed him a club record £8.3million contract.

The former France international had a decent maiden season at OPAP Arena, scoring nine goals and providing two assists in 23 appearances before suffering yet another injury in February.

Now Martial has fallen down the pecking order following the arrival of new manager Marko Nikolic.

So much so that Nikolic left the Frenchman out of AEK's squad for the Conference League .

He was targeted by Pumas throughout the summer but refused to budge on his pricey wage negotiations.

Mexican football journalist Cesar Luis Merlo said on his YouTube channel: "AEK is willing to loan him to Pumas free of charge (they should only pay his salary), but Martial earns a gigantic salary, gigantic,

"They've been talking to him for three or four days, but the player still hasn't given in to his demands.

"I'm not ruling him out 100 percent, but if he hasn't budged in four days, I don't see it being easy for him to move today.

"The reality is that Pumas is trying to get Martial, but the player doesn't want to budge even a euro.

"For now, neither Martial nor his agent have budged. If they do, there may be a chance, but we'll have to wait and see."

Talk of Martial's move to Monterrey comes seven months after Real Madrid legend Ramos signed with the Mexican side.

The 39-year-old World Cup winner has helped the team to the summit of Liga MX after seven matches, with six wins and one defeat.

Meanwhile Pumas are 10th in the division after a mixed start of two wins, three draws and two losses.

Pumas have a string high-profile stars in their dressing room, including ex-Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey and former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas.