Anthony Martial 'rejected move to Chelsea' before signing for United

The teenage French striker signed for a deal worth anywhere between £35m and £60m, depending on appearances, success and whom you believe, on the final day of the transfer window.

At the time there was widespread incredulity, but the former Monaco star has already begun to justify his price tag with some staggering goals which suggest a glittering future.

Yet it seems that he could have been knocking those goals in for Chelsea, according to a Daily Mirror report.

"Martial turned down a move to Chelsea at the end of the transfer window," the paper claims.

"Eyebrows were raised when United splashed the cash on Martial but they were not the only Premier League side in for him, as Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev claimed this week.

"Chelsea were keen to agree a deal for the 19-year-old striker, which would see him remain with Monaco for the rest of the season."

Vasilyev did indeed confirm that another English club had been in for Martial, though he had not said which one.

"They offered us to have him for a further year in Monaco," Vasilyev said, adding that the other offer was "even better" than United's.

“But the boy wanted to go to Manchester, it was his dream. And we let him go with the bonus of €30m. Had it not been for so much money, he’d have stayed.”

Was Anthony Martial the first to call it? The first one to take a look at Chelsea's poor start to the season and decide that it marked a decline in fortunes rather than an August blip? If so, kudos to him because right now his decision to move to Manchester instead of London looks an excellent choice, notwithstanding United's failure against Arsenal on Sunday (which featured a glaring miss by Martial right before half-time).