Atletico Madrid has confirmed the deal which will see them nab Sporting Lisbon’s €45 million Gelson Martins on a free transfer.
Gelson Martins joins Atletico Madrid on a free transfer
Gelson Martins was one of seven players to cut the cord with Sporting Lisbon following a training ground assault by a group of overly-enthusiastic fans at the end of last season. Rui Patricio already signed with Wolverhampton on a free deal last month and Martins was expected to follow suit. However, Sporting complained to FIFA, disputing the legality of the rescinded contracts. In Martins’ case, the Lisbon club suggested the 23-year-old was not one of the players confronted by the ultras, therefore he had no basis to terminate his contract.
At one point in the negotiations, Atletico Madrid offered €15 million plus a percentage of any future sale in order to avoid FIFA’s arbitration process. Los Colchoneros were also willing to send Luciano Vietto as part of the deal, but Sporting Lisbon refused all offers and didn’t want to settle for less than €20 million. Atletico Madrid went ahead with the transfer, so now it’s up to FIFA to make a final ruling. Until then, Gelson Martins is officially an Atletico Madrid player.
Latest transfer news: Jordy Clasie, Fabian Schar, Andre Schurrle, Rob Green
Jordy Clasie will return to Feyenoord after the Dutch club and Southampton reached an agreement on a season-long loan. Clasie came to England in 2015 as one of the best Eredivisie midfielders but recorded only 38 appearances for Southampton. He spent last season on loan as well (Club Brugge).
Fabian Schar is due to undergo a medical today before joining Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle United. Switzerland’s starting centre back had a €3.5 million release clause in Deportivo la Coruna, a fee that The Magpies had no problem activating as soon as he became their target. The move could turn out to be an excellent piece of business by the club.
Ever since making a name for himself in Bayer Leverkusen, Andre Schurrle has jumped from club to club, trying to recapture the form which made him one of the most coveted forwards in Europe. His second trip to the Premier League was arranged when Fulham approached Borussia Dortmund in an attempt to sign the 27-year-old German on a season-long loan. He’s set to complete his medical today.
Chelsea has signed 38-year-old Rob Green to be their third-choice goalkeeper. He was a free agent, having left Huddersfield at the end of last season. The move is similar to what Manchester United did when they acquired Lee Grant from Stoke.
It is looking more and more likely that Yerry Mina will become a Premier League player soon. Everton was the team mentioned next to Mina the most recently, but it seems as if the Wolverhampton Wanderers are as eager to welcome the Colombian World Cup hero as The Toffees.
