Rumour Mongering: Reds Closer to Deal with Gelson Martins

It’s been a whole half a day since Liverpool were told they may not be getting Naby Keïta this month after all, so it’s probably about time that we had a new rumour about who we’re almost definitely going to sign by the end of next week crop up. Liverpool have been linked to Sporting CP’s Gelson Martins before, and now that Coutinho’s no longer a Red, the whispers about a potential move are growing slightly louder. This is despite the fact that Martins predominantly plays on the right wing and Liverpool have a pretty decent player in that position right now, but nonetheless: here’s the rumour.

According to Correio da Manha, a Portuguese newspaper, the Reds have agreed to personal terms with the player and have offered him a salary of approximately £80k a week, about five times more than the player is currently making. However, the Reds are reportedly having slightly more trouble getting Sporting to agree to their terms. The Portuguese club will only let Martins go if Liverpool activate the player’s release clause of £53 million.

Liverpool have apparently only offered Sporting half that sum, which the club is obviously unwilling to entertain. Sporting are instead focusing their efforts on convincing Martins to stay with them at least until after the World Cup this summer when they hope his valuation will go up considerably.

If the reports are true — and aren’t coming from the player’s camp as they try to negotiate a new deal with Sporting — Liverpool will be up against Bayern Munich in a race to convince Sporting to part with the player. So probably not worth holding your breath too hard for this one.