Barcelona confirm Gelson Martins interest

Ariedo Braida has confirmed Barcelona are keeping a close eye on the development of Sporting CP attacker Gelson Martins.

Martins has developed into an important player at the Lisbon side since breaking into the first team last season and his fine performances have not gone unnoticed elsewhere.

Barca scouts have watched the 21-year-old in action, but Braida has made it clear they are not planning to bring Martins – who earned his first international call-up as part of the latest Portugal squad – to Camp Nou just yet.

“All I can say at this point is that we are keeping tabs on Gelson,” Braida told Record.

“He is a young player with a lot of talent and Barcelona will continue to keep an eye on him. We are looking at a number of players and he is one of them.

“We will not sign him in January, though. We are just watching him. We have not even been in touch with anyone to talk about him. I will not lie about it that we are watching him, but there are no negotiations.

“He has the potential to become a great player, so let’s see how he develops.”

The winger has a contract with Sporting until June 2021.