Newcastle United have asked Atletico Madrid over the possibility of signing out-of-favour forward Gelson Martins on a loan deal, say Sky Sport.
Marca cite the report which claims Martins – who is also said to be wanted by Arsenal and Monaco – could join the Magpies on loan until the end of the season from Atleti, who are keen to offload the forward to comply with their wage budget.
Los Rojiblancos are said to be at the limit of their €293m annual wage budget and with the imminent arrival of Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata, at least one player must make way.
Marca and Diario AS have both reported Monaco’s interest in the Portuguese forward but reports in the British press, from the Daily Mirror and the Sun, both say the Gunners are interested too.
Of Cape Verde heritage, Martins made 125 first-team appearances for Sporting CP before joining Atleti in a controversial deal this summer.
The 23-year-old initially moved to the Wanda Metropolitano last summer as a ‘free agent’, according to their website, despite Sporting insisting they were due a fee of €45m for the player.
Reports in Portugal have subsequently claimed that Sporting are considering taking Atleti to court over the deal and say they are entitled to a whopping €110m in compensation.
Gelson has failed to settle quickly in the Spanish capital, making just one league start so far this campaign and looks set for an early exit after a forgettable six months.
