Liverpool have been dealt a blow in their hopes of signing Portuguese attacker

Liverpool have been dealt a major blow in their hopes of signing Gelson Martins as AS (h/t Mirror) reports that the Portugal international has agreed to move to Atletico Madrid.

Martins was attacked by a number of Sporting Lisbon fans before the Portuguese cup final and had decided to leave the club, along with a few teammates, citing safety reasons.

The deal is yet to be given international clearance but Atletico seem to have pulled off a coup, as a number of clubs were interested in the winger.

The 23-year-old played one World Cup match for Portugal but had a better campaign with Sporting, notching up 11 goals and providing 9 assists for the side.

Martins was linked with other Premier League clubs too. Tottenham and Chelsea and Arsenal had reportedly made a bid of £26million, which was rejected.

The Portuguese talent would have been a great addition to the side and would have been a quality cover for the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Martins might not have been a first-choice starter but given the number of games we would be playing this campaign, there is no doubt we could have used his quality in a few matches.

The 23-year-old can play on either wing and also as an attacking midfielder, so we could have used him in a number of positions.

Read more: “You will find out my new club soon” – Liverpool target shares update on his future after World Cup exit

However, our loss seems to be Atletico’s gain and the Spanish side have done really well in this transfer window so far, completing a move for Thomas Lemar and also keeping hold of star forward Antoine Griezmann.