Manchester City have reportedly entered the running alongside Real Madrid in the potential summer pursuit of Espanyol fullback Aaron Martin.
The Sun are claiming that Manchester City are showing keen interest in Espanyol fullback Aaron Martin. The defender has been raising eyebrows with his performances in La Liga and has been linked with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid. And it seems the Citizens have joined the queue.
Aaron Martin Caricol is a product of the Espanyol academy and has suffered his true breakout season in the first-team setup this campaign. And he hasn’t just broken through into the first-team but has also managed to become a regular face in the starting eleven for the club, under the tutelage of Quique Sanchez Flores.
Caricol has been a rock at the back, with Espanyol winning just 1 of the 5 La Liga games that the player has not featured in. At 19, he has quickly become a renowned name in La Liga, something which goes to further add credibility to the talent that is Aaron Martin.
The player was heavily linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid. But, Espanyol are unlikely to let the player leave to a local rival in Barcelona, which made Real Madrid the heavy favourites for Aaron Martin. Zinedine Zidane is eyeing the addition of a left-back with Fabio Coentrao all but set to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season.
Real Madrid are after Real Sociedad’s Yuri Berchiche & Espanyol’s Aarón Martín, as Los Blancos are looking for Coentrão replacement. [Marca] pic.twitter.com/FMHeIQZHec
— LaLigaNews (@LaLigaSantandr) March 21, 2017
Fabio Coentrao’s departure would leave Los Blancos with just one option, in Marcelo, on the left side of the defence; something which Zidane is looking to avoid. Aaron Martin, too, would love to be a part of a club as illustrious as Real Madrid and to take to the field at Santiago Bernabeu wearing the legendary white jersey.
But, now, Manchester City have joined the list. Pep Guardiola is looking for youthful additions to the wide areas of the defence, with the current options at left-back – Aleksandar Kolarov and Gael Clichy – both 31. City have been linked with various players, like Danny Rose. But, it looks like Guardiola is looking towards Spain to reinforce his options.
Aaron Martin is currently contracted to Espanyol till 2022. But, his contract does include a release clause of around £26 million, a figure which is likely to rise to £35 million in 2018. Espanyol is under no pressure to sell, with the player only in his first full senior campaign, which is likely to hand the club the advantage in any negotiation process.
However, City and Real Madrid both boast of heavy financial backing and in all likeliness, Espanyol will be forced to let go of their prized asset if the duo converts their interest into a real offer. Till then, however, the 19-year-old is likely to focus on keep impressing with his performances.
