Monaco President Confirms Agreement to Sign Gelson Martins Permanently From Atletico Madrid
Monaco president Oleg Petrov has revealed the club have already agreed to sign Atletico Madrid winger Gelson Martins permanently this summer.
The Portugal international spent the second half of last season on loan with the Ligue 1 side after struggling to fit in at Atletico, who recently announced that they had finally reached an agreement with Sporting CP to sign Martins in the first place.
Speaking to fans at a season ticket holders party (via L'Equipe), Petrov confirmed that Martins will sign a permanent deal with the Ligue 1 side to remain in Monaco for the foreseeable future.
He did not confirm the price of the deal but, with Atletico having parted with €22.5m to sign Martins, it is thought that Monaco will at least have offered a similar fee.
After cancelling his contract with Sporting to join Atletico last summer, Martins struggled to establish himself as a regular starter, scoring just once in 12 appearances for Los Rojiblancos before leaving for Monaco in January.
Fortunately, he managed to reverse his fortunes in France, immediately becoming a starter under Leonardo Jardim. Martins managed four goals and four assists in 17 outings for Monaco, helping Les Monegasques steer clear of the relegation zone.
As for Atletico, selling Martins will help raise some transfer funds, which could be vital in their summer recruitment plans. Antoine Griezmann has already confirmed he will leave the club, while Diego Costa could also be on his way out.
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Signing at least one new forward could be a top priority for Diego Simeone. Alvaro Morata, who is currently on loan from Chelsea, has spoken of his desire to seal a permanent switch to the club, whilst they have also been linked with moves for the likes of Edinson Cavani, Mauro Icardi and even club-favourite Radamel Falcao.
Elsewhere on the team sheet, both Rodrigo and Jan Oblak have been linked with moves to the Premier League to Manchester City and Manchester United respectively, so Atletico could be in for a busy summer.
