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Newcastle United have joined the list of clubs interested in taking Atlético Madrid forward Gelson Martins on loan.
The highly regarded Portuguese international was part of the group of players that left Sporting Lisbon unilaterally after fans attacked the team and officials at their training ground. He moved to Atlético on a five year deal in July, but has struggled to make an impact in Spain, and has made just 12 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side, mainly from the bench.
Now, Atlético, who are on the verge of signing Alvaro Morata from Chelsea, are looking for ways to bring their wage bill down to accommodate the salary of the new man, and regard Martins as expendable.
Martins has also been linked with Thierry Henry’s Monaco, with Arsenal also set to be interested.
According to The Daily Mail Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez wants to make at least two signings before the January transfer window closes, whilst separate reports suggests that the Spaniard is prepared to quit the club at the end of the season if the club is not prepared to invest in the transfer market.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.