- Liverpool linked with swoop for Sporting Lisbon star Gelson Martins
- Portuguese star’s release clause sits at £53m, Reds only willing to pay half
- Lucrative contract offer could be on the way for winger
- READ MORE: Bad news for Liverpool: Real Madrid look to bring Reds’ key target to the Bernabeu
After the departure of Philippe Coutinho to join Barcelona this week, Liverpool have money to spend in January if they choose to do so.
As reported by BBC Sport, the Brazilian international joined the Catalan giants in a deal worth £142m, and so provided Jurgen Klopp gets a decent chunk of that to spend this month on the right target, he could yet be set to splash out on a replacement.
According to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha, the Reds may well have set their sights on Sporting Lisbon star Gelson Martins, who is said to have a £53m release clause in his contract.
However, it’s added that Liverpool will only be willing to pay half of that, although he could be in line to land a lucrative contract as he’ll be offered five times his current wages which could help make possible discussions over personal terms quite straightforward.
The 22-year-old has proven himself to be a top talent and a great prospect for the future, not only for Sporting but also for Portugal as we saw at the Confederations Cup last summer.
Martins has nine goals and eight assists in 29 appearances so far this season, although an argument could be made over whether or not Liverpool really need a player like him.
Most effective in his preferred role on the right wing, the pacy, tricky and dangerous wide man isn’t too dissimilar to the options that Klopp already has in the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
In turn, with a replacement needed for Coutinho after he was the player to link everything together and play that deeper creative role, perhaps Liverpool need to be looking in a different place this month to efficiently spend that money they received for their former Brazilian playmaker.