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MANCHESTER. – Manchester United have offered Anthony Martial a new five-year contract.

The 22-year-old France forward is into the last year of the deal he signed in September 2015 and his Old Trafford future has been the subject of considerable speculation, with many reports claiming he has become a pawn in a power struggle at the club between manager Jose Mourinho and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.

That narrative would suggests Woodward has offered Martial a new deal, contrary to Mourinho’s wishes, and the player is tempted to sign as he believes the Portuguese manager’s days at the club are numbered.

It is understood however that Mourinho is fully on board with United’s desire to keep Martial and talks between the club and his agent Philippe Lamboley are progressing.

Martial became football’s most expensive teenager when he signed for United from Monaco in a deal worth an initial £36million, with more than £21million in bonus clauses.

One of those add-ons was triggered when he scored his 25th goal for United – something he achieved by the end of his second season at the club – but after scoring 17 goals in 49 appearances in his first season in England, Martial has only scored 19 in 87 over the last two years.

His relationship with Mourinho has also been prickly, with the manager dropping several hints about his chances-to-goals ratio and work-rate. – The Mirror.