According to reports in Portugal and England, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is currently looking for reinforcements in the wings and is keen on Portuguese winger Gelson Martins. Spanish giants Real Madrid are keeping close tabs on the youngster as well, reports The Sun.
Martins was part of the Sporting Lisbon squad which fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League and he caught the attention of several European powerhouse clubs after the Champions League draw. Despite interest from England and Spain, reports suggests that Sporting Lisbon president Bruno De Carvalho wants to keep the player at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Manchester United have been facing problems in their wing-play since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. The likes of Antonio Valencia, Adnan Januzaj, Memphis Depay, Ashley Young and Anthony Martial have been deployed in the wings in the past seasons but without much success.
This season, Mourinho tried to bolster the wings by bringing in Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but the Armenian has impressed neither the Manchester United faithful nor the manager himself and is currently injured.
The next great Portuguese winger?
Gelson Martins is widely recognised in the Portuguese Primeira Liga for his staggering pace. "In Portugal, there is no one like him,” said Sporting Lisbon manager Jorge Jesus. The 21-year-old is comfortable in both wings but prefers to play on the right side and is currently being touted as the next Nani in Portugal.
However, with Cristiano Ronaldo aging, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is believed to be in search of a proper replacement for the Portuguese superstar and has reportedly sent scouts to watch the wonder kid.
Martins is currently contracted with the Portuguese club until 2021 but according to A Bola, the teenager has a buyout clause of £60 million, which is expected to rise to £80 million with a new contract on the way. Other Premier League clubs such as Manchester City, Chelsea, Everton and West Ham United are also interested in the winger.
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is ready to battle Real Madrid and other Premier League clubs and lure the youngster to Old Trafford.
The Cape Verde-born winger has been capped five times by the Portuguese under-21 National Football team. Martins has scored two and assisted another six goals in eight appearances in all competitions for the Portuguese side this season.
