AEK Athens appear eager to cut ties with Anthony Martial just months after his arrival, with the Greek champions actively offering the French forward to clubs across Europe and beyond. According to people familiar with the discussions, at least six sides have been approached in recent weeks, underscoring the urgency with which AEK want to move on.
Martial, once a dazzling teenage prospect at AS Monaco and later Manchester United’s record signing, joined AEK in the summer as a free agent. His unveiling was treated as a coup: a Champions League club securing a player who had worn France’s colors and scored goals at Old Trafford. Yet the marriage has soured quickly.
Fitness concerns lingered from his final seasons in England, when injuries and loss of form consigned him to the margins. In Athens, flashes of quality have surfaced — the deft first touch, the quick turn — but they have been too rare to sway a demanding fan base. Supporters accustomed to relentless energy have instead watched Martial drift in and out of matches, his influence muted.
AEK officials, while careful in their public statements, have grown frustrated. One club insider described the situation as “unsustainable,” pointing to Martial’s wages, which sit well above the squad’s average, and his inability to establish himself as a guaranteed starter.
Read Also: Grief, Praise Greet Death Of Conservative Figure Charlie Kirk
The strategy now is clear: test the market, even at the cost of letting him leave cheaply. Turkish Super Lig sides are said to have been sounded out, alongside clubs in France and the Middle East. Whether anyone will take on Martial’s salary package, however, remains the central obstacle.
For Martial, still only 28, the prospect of yet another restart looms. His career arc — from prodigy tipped to inherit Thierry Henry’s mantle, to an enigmatic journeyman struggling for relevance — reflects both the brutal churn of elite football and the weight of expectations he has never quite escaped.
If AEK succeed in offloading him this month, it will close a brief and disappointing chapter for both player and club. If not, the Athens faithful may have to reconcile themselves with an uneasy reality: a marquee signing who never became the talisman they hoped for.
Either way, Martial’s future now hangs in the balance — a reminder that reputation alone cannot guarantee a home in modern football.