Bavarian giants Bayern Munich are scouting Sporting Lisbon star Gelson Martins as a possible long-term replacement for their speedy winger Arjen Robben.
Barcelona are also looking at this talented winger, as the ‘next Cristiano Ronaldo’ is catching the eyes of all the big clubs around Europe.
Although at 33 years of age, Robben is showing no signs of hanging up his boots, Bayern won’t let the opportunity slip to sign a prospect for the future.
In a recent report form Portuguese sports daily, O Jogo, the Bundesliga champions have already started scouting the Portuguese starlet. The 22-year old winger possess the desirable skill set of a winger, and is one of the hottest asset in the market right now.
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However, Bayern face also face stern test from the Premier League big boys. Arsenal are keen on signing the youngster to fill the void that’ll probably be created by Alexis Sanchez’s reported move from Arsenal to Manchester United.
Liverpool will also want to replace Coutinho, after the Brazilian’s departure to Barcelona. Both teams are ready to meet the £53mn release clause set by Sporting Lisbon.
The Bayern scouts have been quite impressed with the youngsters playing style in his previous matches, especially in the derby between Sporting and Benfica where Martins put in a good performance and also scored a goal, while the scouts were in attendance.
Martins rose through youth teams of Benfica before moving to Sporting. In March 2014. He has already surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s start at Sporting, having scored six goals in 41 games.
However, Bayern will be wary of the high price that will surely come up after experiencing the flop show of Renato Sanches. The so called Portuguese wonderkid failed to live up to his £35mn price tag from Benfica as he was eventually loaned to Swansea for some regular game time.
Nevertheless, Bayern will have to consider their options quick with so much interest for Martins and also consider that fact that Sporting are lining up for a new deal to Gelson that will take his buyout clause to £88mn and above.
