West Ham want Martial in sensational swap-deal as Man United target Payet
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West Ham and Manchester United could be set to complete a shock swap deal which would see Dimitri Payet head north and Anthony Martial go the other way.
Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho has expressed his interest in Payet, whose future in east London remains far from certain.
But the Irons aren’t prepared to let their star man go easily, and it has been reported this week that Slaven Bilic’s outfit will ask for Martial as part of the deal.
Payet has continued to shine as the Hammers have become embroiled in a relegation battle this season.
However, despite his own good form, it has been widely circulated in the press that Bilic needs to sign at least two players next month to persaude the French winger to stay beyond next summer.
But if Payet has already made his mind up to quit the Hammers, then it appears they’ve targetted Martial as damage limitation.
It’s certainly ambitious, but United are no strangers to a headline-swap, with Keith Gillespie making way for Andy Cole’s arrival from Newcastle back in 1995.
Plus, with Martial missing four of United’s last seven Premier League games, the 21-year-old doesn’t appear to be at the forefront of Jose Mourinho’s plans.
Additionally, the 13-time Premier League champions are unbeaten in all six games where Martial has been absent and he has been the centre of transfer speculation for much of the campaign.
However, the French international is likely to court plenty of attention from a number of Europe’s big names next summer, so Martial may well reject a move to the capital.
West Ham eased their relegation fears in midweek with victory over Burnley, and can further continue their ascent up the table with the visit of Hull this weekend.
The bookies odds of 8/13 suggest the Hammers are well placed to make it two wins in succession.
United meanwhile seek a third successive win then they head to West Brom as 4/6 favourites on Saturday night.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
