Arsenal have had a bid turned down for talented winger Gelson Martins, according to reports from A Bola.
The Lisbon star has long been on Arsenal’s radar this summer with other clubs also hot on the heels of the winger.
The report states that the North London club have tabled a €30m bid which was rejected. The forward has a release clause of €60m in his contract.
Lisbon will not sell for any price below €45m and have told Arsenal to up their bid if they really want the player in their ranks. The club have also rejected bids for the player last summer from other clubs and will only sell for a price worthy of their valuation.
Reports claim Martins is furious with Lisbon’s stance and may force his way out of the club this summer as he seeks a new challenge after spending time in his homeland.
Sporting Lisbon had a season to forget last term and many players are preparing to depart the capital club after they were attacked by fans at the club’s training ground.
The 23-year-old scored 13 goals and 13 assists in 52 games last season and will represent an upgrade to the current quality of wingers in Arsenal presently.
He is fast, skillful and dangerous on the ball when in one-on-one situations and is one of the best players playing in the Portuguese Primera Liga.
Liverpool and Manchester Utd are rumored to be interested in the player but only the Gunners have followed up on their interest and concluding the deal on time is key if they really want to avoid losing him to a rival like they’ve lost previous targets.
Paying Sporting Lisbon what they want is the only way to avoid dragging this transfer longer than necessary.
