Sporting Lisbon president announces intention to increase Gelson Martins’ release clause to £89m in wake of Liverpool rumours
Sporting Lisbon forward Gelson Martins has been scouted as a potential replacement for Philippe Coutinho should he leave this month
Sporting Lisbon president Bruno de Carvalho is hoping to increase the release clause of Gelson Martins from £53m to £89m, as has been reported in Portugal.
The 22-year-old winger has recently emerged as a potential replacement for Philippe Coutinho, as reported by A Bola, should the Brazilian’s well documented potential move to Barcelona materialise.
The injured Coutinho will miss tonight’s FA Cup derby clash against Everton
Martins is highly rated in his native land and has won an impressive 15 international caps since his debut in 2016.
Comfortable operating on either flank the winger caught the attention of many in an impressive performance against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu during this season’s Champions League group stage.
Martins has won an impressive 15 international caps for Portugal since his debut in 2016
Liverpool held talks with Sporting over a potential transfer for Martins in the summer, following an initial bid rejected for top transfer target Mohamed Salah. With Salah eventually making the move from Serie A to Merseyside, however, the Martins rumours died down only to arise again following the latest news regarding the Coutinho situation.
As it stands, Martins is under contract in Lisbon until 2022 and the club are clearly doing all they can to hold on to the youngster.
Should Countinho leave, however, Liverpool will have plenty of cash to spend regardless of any increase in his release clause.
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