Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev has revealed that he found it impossible to resist Manchester United’s offer for Anthony Martial once it becamse clear the Premier League club would not take no for an answer
The Ligue 1 club saw promising forward Martial depart for Manchester United in a world-record fee for a teenager at £36 million, rising to £58m.
Vasiylev was initially unwilling to sell the youngster, but the Premier League club’s financial might meant that he was left with little choice.
“We really wanted to keep (Martial) on the team, but Manchester has made an incredible offer, almost the close of the market, an offer that neither the club nor the player could refuse,” he said. “That’s football. “(It is) evident that certain clubs – especially the British – have unprecedented resources, and it is hard to resist.”
Vasilyev also explained how United kept increasing their bid until Monaco finally cracked – eventually paying almost three times their initial offer for the 19-year-old.
“It’s true that the price for Martial is £57.6m but take into account this sum includes bonuses which are very realistic,” he said in The Sun. “I couldn’t disclose the fixed sum.
“Initially Martial was not for sale, it was absolutely not planned. Since last week United started to make offers which we declined several times — £21.6m, £28.8m, £36m, even £50.4m with bonuses.
“On Sunday the player got such an offer that he couldn’t have declined. He asked us to find a solution and on Monday morning Manchester United made an offer to Monaco which the club couldn’t refuse. It’s absolutely unique. It’s the price of Luis Suarez or Neymar — the best players in the world.”
