Tottenham are the latest side to emerge in the Martinez tug of war. The London club look to have cemented a relatively strong position in the battle for the Columbians signature.
Much has been written recently regarding the future of Jackson Martinez. The Porto player is hot property at the moment and is regarded as one of the best strikers in Europe. The reason for this claim is that the 27 year old has a prolific goal scoring record this season, scoring 19 goals in 28 games.
Not only has the Columbian performed well at domestic level, he has also been impressive in the Europa League. However, the striker is said to be discontent with life at Portugal and is very keen on a move to the Premier League. The below picture certainly suggests he would have no problem in the physical sides of things if he does arrive in England.
David Moyes was known to be an admirer of the striker and according to the Express Martinez was ready to snub interest from Roma and seal a deal with Manchester United. Now that Moyes is no longer the manager, the move seems to have fallen through and other clubs have emerged as favourites to win his services.
Chelsea are also keen on signing Martinez, supposedly wishing to partner him upfront with Atletico striker Diego Costa. If true, it would certainly add two potent goal scorers to the team. Ba, Torres and Eto have not been efficient enough in front of goal this season and they certainly need a man up front who is going to get them around 20 plus goals. A combo of Costa and Martinez would give the Chelsea fans the goals they crave next season and move them away from the 1-0 wins, away from the lack of goals they have been criticised for this campaign under Mourinho.
Now though Tottenham are the latest club to emerge in the race for the Columbians signature, with the Metro suggesting Spurs are readying an 18 million bid. This differs to reporting from the Express who claimed Porto wanted a sum of around 4o million for their prize asset.
The Metro have added a hint of authenticity to the move by claiming chairman Daniel Levy has met with Martinez’s representatives to discuss a switch to White Hart Lane. The chairman is said to be keen to push through with the deal even though the club have yet to sort out a new manager, with Tim Sherwood looking unlikely to be at the helm next season.
If Spurs do manage to pull off a deal for 18 million it would certainly be a good piece of business considering the huge figures that have been thrown around regarding Martinez. They certainly need a new striker next season who is going to get them goals. Soldado has been far from prolific, scoring just 6 goals in 28 games. When you consider the fact he has had 58 shots this season, and some of those goals have been from the penalty spot, it is a very poor record indeed. At 26 million pounds he has unquestionably been a poor buy.
Having spent big money last season, thanks to the mega money received for Bale, Tottenham will need to be more careful how they go about their business in the summer. They will not have as much money to spend this time around so must spend wisely. A new striker is definitely on the cards with reports linking them to Chelsea striker Lukaku and now to Martinez.
If the fee of 18 million for the Porto striker is true, it will most likely be the same fee they would need to secure a deal for Lukaku. Therefore Spurs have a situation on their hands, do they go for a prolific goal scoring 27 year old who is unproven in the Premier League, which is reminiscent of Soldado, or do they go for an exciting young talent, even though not so prolific and not yet the finished article, but who is proven in the Premier League and has had a fantastic season on loan at Everton.
It remains to be seen who will win this tug of war for Martinez, but it is certainly a transfer that is being closely monitored. With the top English sides battling it out to put his name on the back of their shirts, it will be interesting to see who the Columbian man will line up for next season and if he will live up to apparently being one of the best strikers in Europe.
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