Manchester United have confirmed the signing of French forward Anthony Martial from Monaco.
Martial started his career at Lyon before joining Monaco in the summer of 2013 for a reported £3.5m fee. He scored 11 goals for the principality club in 42 appearances last season.
He recently agreed a one-year extension to his previous deal, which was expected to take his contract up to 2019.
Anthony Martial said: “I am so excited to be joining Manchester United. I have enjoyed my time at AS Monaco and I would like to thank them and the fans for everything they have done for me.
The deal is reportedly going to cost United £36m – which is their third most expensive signing after £59.7m for Angel Di Maria and £37.1m for Juan Mata.
Louis van Gaal commented: “Anthony is a naturally talented, young, multi-functional forward with great potential. We have been watching him for a while now and he has developed immensely during his time at AS Monaco.
“I am delighted he has joined Manchester United as I believe this is the right club for him to continue his development as a young player. He has all the attributes to become a top football player; however we need to give him time to adjust to his new environment and the rhythm of the Premier League.”
The former French youth international, who was called up to the senior national team for the first time on 28 August, is expected back in the France squad’s training base in Clairefontaine immediately after finalising transfer formalities.
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