Arsenal in battle to sign 23y/o winger as Emery looks to secure 1st January deal

The January transfer window is in full swing and managers are working hard on strengthening their squads and identifying targets for the summer so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest rumours. Today, Arsenal are battling Newcastle for Gelson Martins…

Arsenal are in a battle with Newcastle United over a deal to sign Atletico Madrid winger Gelson Martins on loan for the rest of the season, according to report via The Sun.

Unai Emery has confirmed he’s in the market for a wide attacker to add some creativity to our ranks as Danny Welbeck has been ruled out for the rest of the season while Mesut Ozil has been frozen out by the Arsenal boss in recent weeks.

Martins has emerged as a potential target with the Daily Star citing reports out of Portugal as claiming earlier this week that Arsenal have put forward a proposal to sign the winger on loan until the end of the season.

The 23-year-old has been tipped to leave Atletico just six months after joining the club from Sporting Lisbon as he’s struggled to hold down a regular place in Diego Simeone’s side having started just 1 La Liga game this campaign.

The Sun are now citing a report from AS that claims Atletico Madrid are ready to let Martins leave on loan this month as they look to make room for the arrival of Alvaro Morata from Chelsea.

However, the Spanish outlet says Arsenal will face competition from Newcastle United after Rafa Benitez’s side expressed their interest in taking Martins to St James’ Park and have offered to pay around £4m as a loan fee.

It remains to be seen whether Arsenal’s proposal would match Newcastle’s terms but I’d like to think we’d stand a good chance of winning the race for his signature if it’s a straight fight between us and the Magpies.

Martins was regarded as a huge prospect during his time at Sporting Lisbon and he’s won 21 caps for Portugal so he certainly has a lot of talent, but things just haven’t worked out for him in Spain.

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He’s predominantly a right winger but he can play anywhere across the front three positions so his versatility would be a useful asset for Emery if Arsenal were able to win the race for his signature.