Chelsea and Manchester United: Would a January move for Anthony Martial be best for both parties?

REUTERS/David Klein

Moving from Monaco as one of the most exciting teenagers in European football and with a huge price tag around his neck, Anthony Martial enjoyed a breakout year domestically and was being tipped as a shoo-in to win the Ballon d'Or sooner rather than later. 

Only a few years ago, many would have expected to have heard Anthony Martial's name with France winning the World Cup, perhaps even picking up the Young Player of the Tournament. However, the now-Manchester United outcast has had to watch as the latest youth sensation, Kylian Mbappe, has skyrocketed into superstardom. 

Swapping Monaco for Manchester back in 2015, Martial was the Mbappe before there was an Mbappe. With United paying a fee that could rise as high as £58 million, he became the world's most expensive teenager and many dubbed him as the next Thierry Henry. Thought to be the man who could spark United's post-Ferguson revolution, the stage was set for the 19-year-old Martial.

Fast forward three years and he didn't even get a call-up to Didier Deschamps' 23 man World Cup squad and his relationship with Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho appears to be deteriorating more by the week.

With many surprised his stay at United was extended past the transfer window, it still seems inevitable that Martial's future lies elsewhere.

Martial makes no secret of his desire to move away from Old Trafford which, coupled with reports of Mourinho's eagerness to show the Frenchman out the exit, could suggest a move South could be on the cards.

With Chelsea heavily linked with a move for the forward all summer, could a move to Stamford Bridge be best for both parties?