According to Colombian outlet ‘El Espectador’, Newcastle are one of several Premier League sides interesting in signing Jackson Martinez – the former Porto striker who is now available on a free despite completing a £38m move to China in 2016.
Martinez, now 31, is best known for his stunning spell with Porto, with his 92 goals in 136 games earning him a £33m move to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2015.
He only went on to score 3 goals in 22 games in Spain, yet somehow commanded another huge fee of £38m less than a later, with Chinese Super League side paying just shy of £38m for the Colombian international in February 2016.
He’s since struggled badly for form and fitness, playing 16 games for Guangzhou Evergrande (and scoring just 4), seeing him released in January this year as a result.
It’s now being claimed in his homeland that ourselves, Wolves and Watford are interested in signing him for free this summer:
#NUFC are one of several clubs – including Wolves and Watford – weighing up a move for free agent striker Jackson Martinez. [El Espectador] pic.twitter.com/v0eVJhQ0Hu
— NUFC 360 (@NUFC360) May 30, 2018
Some will say he’s a risk free signing and a high calibre player to sign for nothing, but his potentially huge wage packet, his recent form and his awful injury record of late suggests we should be looking elsewhere.
He looks a hell of a player here (his Porto days), but you get the feeling he’s nothing like that player now if his time in China is anything to go by:
Colombian not Columbian
Nico(Quote)