Martial's time at Monterrey has ended, with the former Manchester United forward now targeting a return to French football despite concerns from potential suitors over his salary demands and recent statistics.
Martial, 30, arrived at the Mexican club in September 2025 in the wake of a single season at AEK Athens, having left Old Trafford as a free agent in 2024 after nine years. His time at Monterrey produced one goal and three assists in twenty appearances, a return that drew sharp criticism from the Mexican press and club supporters alike.
Tensions came to a head earlier this year when the forward was temporarily frozen out of training after reacting angrily to being omitted from a substitution during a match. Despite still appearing in the club's official shop, the two parties agreed to part ways before his two-year contract ran its course.
Back in Europe for his summer break, Martial and his representatives are now scouting the Ligue 1 market with a clear preference for a return to France.
OGC Nice have not yet closed the door on a potential approach, though any deal depends on the club first trimming their wage bill. Nice would also need to weigh the optics of a reunion: Martial left France for Manchester United in 2015 in a then world-record £36 million deal for a teenager, and his career has not traced the trajectory that transfer fee implied.
Paris FC and Troyes have also made preliminary enquiries, according to reports in France.
The obstacles are straightforward. Martial's wages — reported at €3.5 million per year at Monterrey — are a deterrent for most Ligue 1 clubs, and his recent output is not sufficient to justify that level of expenditure in a market where most clubs operate with tight margins.