Barcelona Join Race For €60m-Rated Youngster

Barcelona have joined the race for Sporting Lisbon starlet Gelson Martins.

Martins has recently been attracting interest from top European clubs, including Manchester United, who are said to be keeping an eye on him.

He has been in superb form of late, scoring 2 goals along with 6 assists in 9 appearances so far this season.

His impressive performance in Sporting’s Champions League game against Real Madrid last month seems to have alerted United, and the Red Devils are now considering a move for the youngster next summer, and will currently continue to keep tabs on his progress in Portugal.

As per Record, Barcelona have also established an interest in the 21-year-old. According to quotes in the article from Barcelona’s international director of sport Ariedo Braida, the Catalan giants have sent scouts to Portugal to keep an eye on the youngster’s progress.

“He’s a young player with a lot of talent who Barcelona are observing and will continue to observe,” Braida said. “We have reports on various players and Gelson is one of them.

“A January signing? No. We’re just watching him. We’ve not even spoken with anyone about Gelson.”

Any move for the Portuguese winger would require a heavy investment, however, as Martins signed a fresh six-year contract with Sporting Lisbon last year, which will keep him at the club till 2021.

It is believed that a €60 million release clause was inserted into the talented youngster’s contract, and this could prove to be a major stumbling block for the clubs interested in signing him.

 

Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook