Everton are lining up a move for the Uruguay winger, Federico Martínez. The 21-year-old plays for Liverpool in Montevideo and has been tracked this season by a whole host of clubs including the Toffees. Some reports are claiming that the youngster can make a £5m move when the transfer window opens in January with a number of European clubs quite keen on securing his services. Swansea City, West Ham and Liverpool have joined Everton in the hunt for his signature. It is also being reported that Bundesliga giants, Borussia Dortmund are keeping a close eye on the starlet with Napoli and AS Roma keen to bring him to Italy.
Martinez has already featured for the Uruguay Under-17s but might be in for a call-up to the senior team following his impressive performances in Sudamericana this season. The Liverpool starlet also has a Spanish passport so moving to Europe won’t be an issue for him as he will be eligible to play without a work permit.
The 21-year-old put in an eye-catching performance against Penerol earlier in this campaign when his stunning strike opened the scoring in that match. Unfortunately, Penerol came back and secured a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in that fixture. He faced off against former Liverpool FC winger, Maxi Rodriguez in that match who now plies his trade at the Uruguayan league at the age of 36.
The youngster’s rapid progress has seen him being compared to Angel Di Maria in South American football following his incredible rise to prominence this season. Martinez has made a total of 51 appearances for his club this season which has seen him find the back of the net 3 times. He also has 6 assists to his name so far.
The left-footed wonderkid can play on either flank or in a more central attacking role. His versatility makes him an ideal candidate for the Toffees, who are in dire need of players who can play in multiple positions.
Everton has struggled this season but after the arrival of Sam Allardyce, the Toffees have turned the tide and are now sitting pretty in 10th place in the Premier League standings. Big Sam is building for the future with a lot of youngsters which include the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Mason Holgate, Tom Davies and company being given chances to shine in the first-team. The potential arrival of Martinez can be seen as an exciting signing for Big Sam’s men as he will definitely get a chance to develop his game at Goodison Park.
But is he the right man for them?
