United paid an initial £36million, rising to £58million with add-ons.
GETTY
Man United paid three times over the odds for Anthony Martial
Former Barcelona director Esteve Calzada, now chief executive of Prime Time Sport, conducted a European-wide transfer review in conjunction with Soccerex and claimed United paid way over the odds for Martial, a virtual unknown outside of his native France.
“The week before [United signed Martial] there were rumours Barcelona would take him for £14.6m,” said Calzada, speaking at Soccerex in Manchester. “We made a list of the value of the top players in Europe under 21, and Martial was on the list.
“We valued him based on statistics and we valued him at 16m Euros [£11.6m]. That means one of two things – either we made a very bad valuation or, on the other side, the market has gone crazy!
“On paper I would say it's a very expensive signing for a very young player but, over time, we will see whether or not it is a good buy. Martial's name would have come up top on any scouting list for any of the top clubs in Europe."
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