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Sir Alex Ferguson will reportedly make a £20m offer for Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez as he looks to improve his midfield options when the transfer window re-opens next month.

The Man United manager has suffered a number of injury concerns this season and currently has the likes of Tom Cleverley, Anderson and Darren Fletcher sidelined and is keen to bring in a defensively minded addition to help add steel to his Old Trafford side.

Javi Martinez has been a consistent performer in La Liga for some time and now in his sixth season at mid-table side Athletic Bilbao many have speculated that the big 6ft 3in Spanish international may be ready to leave the club he has notched up over 200 appearances for since his move from Osasuna five and a half years ago.

Ferguson will be handed significant funds to help beef up his squad as they look to bridge the gap to local rivals and table toppers Man City and after scouring Martinez for the best part of a year is now ready to bring forward plans to land the big midfielder in the summer to January.

Martinez may be keen to make a high profile move that would help him to cement his place in the Spanish national team ahead of the Euro 2012 finals next summer.

Bilbao have not started the current campaign all that well and find themselves in ninth spot after last season’s impressive top six finish and this may well further convince Martinez that a move away from San Mames is necessary to help continue his career progression.

Ferguson has lacked an out and out defensive midfield option ever since Owen Hargreaves saw his Man United career stifled by constant injury problems and a move for Martinez may well help to step into the void next month.

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Reports from Spain are suggesting that Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov will be sold before the end of the season, in order to fund a move for Athletic Bilbao star duo Fernando Llorente and Javi Martinez. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is a long-time admirer of the Spanish pair, and has been impressed with their fine form this season.

Athletic Bilbao have largely relied on Llorente’s goals this season, whilst midfielder Javi Martinez has been a consistent performer for the Basque side for a number of seasons. The duo will not come cheap, with Manchester United willing to spend up to £35million on both signatures.

Ferguson’s desire to land both players will mean sacrificing Bulgarian striker Berbatov, who was left out of this weekend’s fixture against Wigan. United will be seeking around £15million for the player, with clubs such as Bayern Munich, Fenerbache and Juventus willing to take him on.

Ferguson has promised some big-name arrivals at Old Trafford in the close season, and this extraordinary move will please many fans.

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With the takeover of the troubled Anfield club looking likely to be completed in plenty of time for the January transfer window, and with
Martin Broughton’s comment that there will be money for the manager to spend, the media is already going into hyperdrive linking the Red’s with any player they think could be a
possibility to move clubs. Choice of signings is an emotive issue, the “he’s better, no he’s better” argument is impossible to resolve (until after the player signs and plays!)

But what about the TYPE of player your club should sign? The “special one” has spoken of his preference in signing players already in their peak, at 29-31yrs of age, this has it’s benefits, but realistically, unless you have the finances of a Real Madrid to be able to buy top-price players and replace them frequently while recouping very little in sales, this isn’t really an option.

So lets look at the two players most recently linked with Liverpool,

Shaun Wright Phillips is a proven Premier League performer, and critics would say that too many of the previous Liverpool manager’s signings failed to translate their form from other leagues, so this looks a good idea yes? Well, maybe not. Sean is almost 28, as a winger you could argue that doesn’t give him very long left at his best, and if it didn’t work out, Liverpool would be trying to sell a very high earning 30yr old in 2 seasons, they wouldn’t get much back.

Roque Santa Cruz, again, proven in the Premier League, he comes with the same issue of wage and age, but, perhaps more worrying is his injury record, ok if you can afford 3-4 top line strikers, but as the only serious back-up to the also-injury-prone Torres, seems risky!

So what is the alternative?

It is unlikely Liverpool will be looking at £30m+ galacticos such as Sergio Aguero or Luis Suarez, and first team stars of the world’s elite clubs such as AC, Inter, Barca & Real will all likely be uninterested in a move, so signing players in the £10m-£15m bracket, from smaller clubs than our own is the most likely outcome, and here’s why this fan thinks they should be 19-23yrs old.

Look at Xabi Alonso, a successful signing for sure, bought for £10.4m at 22, sold after 5 years of excellent play for £30m…

But you wont always get it right!…

So look at Ryan Babel, by most people’s standards, a failed signing, costing £11m, BUT as he is STILL young, (23) he is STILL viewed by many as having potential, and Liverpool have in the past couple of windows been offered £8m+ for him. (and should take it!)

So if you buy the right TYPE of player, you should at least get back 75% of your money if he fails, and successful signings will last longer!.

Less of a financial risk, generally smaller wages, hungry, fit, young players are the way!

The age of any new signings could be even more significant given the advancing years of Kop idols Jamie Carragher & Steven Gerrard!

New owners (probably), new manager, new-or-improved stadium on the way, some new talent on the field is what is needed now.

Some players worth considering:

Ever Banega, at just 22, likened to a mix of Mascherano & Alonso, two players yet to be properly replaced by the Reds, and strongly linked in the summer to an £8.5m move from cash-strapped Valencia

Eden Hazard, the pacey 19yr old Belgian dubbed ‘the next Messi’ would offer much needed guile and creativity on the Reds left. Struggling Lille may not be able to resist a bid of around £15m

Javi Martinez, £15m rated box-to-box playmaker, just 22 and one the THE rising stars of La Liga, he resisted Premier League advances 2 years ago favouring more development at Bilbao, but now?

Arda Turan, a name familiar with Reds fans after being linked for the past few seasons & stating his desire to be a red. With only 2 years left on his Galatasaray deal £12m-£14m should do it. At just 23 he is already a proven international star… and on loan Emiliano Insua could be used as a £4m makeweight

Ricky Van Wolfswinkel, Utrecht’s 21yr old goal machine, already a Dutch international, he gave the reds defence a torrid time recently.

Fabio Coentrao, the 22yr old flying Portugese left back of Benfica, also an option on the left wing, he would give Liverpool more cut-and-thrust, similar to Glen Johnson on the right

Phil Jones or Blackburn Rovers, Micah Richards of City (if they continue to replace homegrown stars with big money signings) could also be good options.

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Manchester United are pursuing starlet pair Javi Martinez and Alvaro Dominguez Soto as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to put together a new generation of talent. Having brought in youngsters Javier Hernandez, Chris Smalling and Bebe over the summer the Old Trafford boss has set his sights on the Spanish Under 21 international duo.

With the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville all nearing the end of their glittering careers and with other notable players having turned 30, Ferguson has made a renewed effort to scout young up and coming talent across Europe rather than investing heavily in established stars.

This attitude may well be the result of the financial issues the club finds itself or a general change in policy but either way both these two are considered hot La Liga prospects. Powerfully built central midfielder Javi Martinez is still part of the Under 21 international set up but has already notched up three appearances in the senior set up. After four consistent seasons at Atletico Bilbao it appears that he is ready to take a step up and is apparently a player that Ferguson rates highly. A box to box midfielder with an eye for goal the highly rated 6ft 3in battler would be a very useful signing.

Lesser known Spaniard Alvaro Dominguez Soto is an adaptable defender who can play at left back but works chiefly as a central defender. The 21 year old impressed greatly last term where he was a virtual ever present for Atletico Madrid and helped Quique Sánchez Flores’s side to a Europa League triumph.

The pair would set back Man United around £22m and both have the kind of potential that seems to greatly interest a forward thinking Ferguson.

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Arsenal are reportedly interested in Atletico Bilbao’s highly rated young midfielder Javi Martinez. The Spanish international youngster is often compared to Real Madrid man Xabi Alonso and has been linked with a move from his mid table La Liga employers and could well be keen to team up with fellow Spaniard Cesc Fabregas in the Emirates midfield.

Whilst Wenger is said to be looking for established names this summer it is worth noting that even though Martinez is just 21 years of age he has already racked up almost 150 top level Spanish appearances and has become one of the hottest prospects in the country.

The battling midfielder is able to combine physicality and skill and is currently on World Cup duty and on the fringes of a starting spot in Vicente del Bosque’s starting line up, such is the high regard for the towering well built youngster.

The £14m rated Bilbao man was linked with a move to Real Madrid but as yet no move has been made by Jose Mourinho and the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City are also said to be keeping a close eye on the Basque star.

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Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is rumoured to be keen on signing young Spanish pair Diego Capel and Javi Martinez this summer. The two players help give the north London club even more strength in depth in areas that the White Hart Lane boss has been looking to fill.

Sevilla’s 22 year old left winger Diego Capel has been linked with a move to the north London club for a few seasons now and the former Barcelona youth player has found himself having to share first team duties with youngster Diego Perotti. He is also a reported target of Serie A side Juventus. The left side of the Spurs midfield was seen as a problem area a year or so ago but now that Gareth Bale has started to shine things do not look so unbalanced however Capel would be a great back up and is known to be a player Redknapp admires.

Javi Martinez is considered one of the hottest prospects in Spanish football and is currently away on World Cup duty and seems certain to leave mid table La Liga side Athletico Bilbao and has a number of potential suitors. Redknapp has mentioned his desire to bring in more central midfield options and could well be about to offload Jermaine Jenas so a move for the 21 year old makes a great deal of sense.

The pair are thought to be valued at around £24m and the White Hart Lane boss is hoping to add more top notch players to his current squad as he prepares for a Champions League campaign.

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Manchester City are weighing up a deal for Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez.
The highly-rated 21-year-old has been linked with Liverpool over recent years but City scouts have monitored him closely in recent months and have been putting together an extensive file documenting his background, habits and personality.
They also had scouts in the crowd in Austria on Saturday as he made his full Spain debut coming on as a substitute for Barcelona’s Xavi against Saudi Arabia.

Marked man: Javi Martinez (front) trains in Madrid as Spanish counterpart Xabi Alonso looks on
Martinez, who is rated at around £18million, is 6ft 3ins tall and plays in an attacking midfield position.
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is a big fan but cannot compete financially with City who are working through a list of targets headed by Valencia’s David Silva. (Daily Mail)

Roberto Mancini looks set to make big changes at Eastlands this summer, at least that is what the speculation machine would have you believe, and whilst its plausible the Italian wants to bring in more of his own signings it seems unlikely he will make a fraction of the transfer market moves he has been linked with. However this particular story may well have some chance of coming to fruition.

Highly rated midfielder Javi Martinez has spent the last four seasons building a name for himself as a player for the future. The Atletico Bilbao man, likened to a young Xabi Alonso, has arguably outgrown his club who last season finished eighth in La Liga and whilst there has always been speculation that the tall striding youngster would join one of the two big boys in Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona as if you needed telling, moves have never become a reality from the Bernabeu or the Nou Camp.

So perhaps a move to the Premier League would make sense? Martinez got his first full Spanish cap two days ago and was somewhat surprisingly named in Vicente del Bosque’s 23 man World Cup squad. Manchester City can afford to offer Bilbao the kind of money they can not afford to turn down so perhaps the 21 year old will be plying his trade at the City of Manchester stadium next term because it does seem highly likely that the youngster will leave his Basque club this summer.

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Manchester United are apparently setting their sights on talented young midfielder Javi Martinez. Sir Alex Ferguson is looking to bring in new central midfield options and has earmarked a move for the promising Spanish Under 21 international who has been likened to a young Xabi Alonso.

The towering Atletico Bilbao man has been targeted by many of Europe’s elite after impressing many with his mature performances in La Liga and after four seasons in the Bilbao first team he appears ready to make a move up the footballing ladder. Many had predicted Martinez would move to either Spanish giants Barcelona or Real Madrid but neither side has made a concrete offer as yet.

Old Trafford boss Ferguson is known to be an admirer of the battling midfielder and may well be ready to meet the Basque clubs valuation of around £18m for the 21 year old.

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Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti will make a bid of around £10m for Atletico Bilbao’s highly rated midfielder Javi Martinez this summer. The west London club are keen to add more youth to their rapidly aging Stamford Bridge squad and have earmarked the young Spaniard as a potential addition.

The lanky 21 year old midfielder has been one of the hottest prospects in La Liga for four seasons and has been linked with a move away from the mid table La Liga side for some time and has been a target for Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid in the past and was reportedly linked with a move to Liverpool last summer.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ready to bankroll big moves in the transfer market this summer and Ancelotti has identified a number of players he wishes to bring to the club. Martinez is an excellent combative midfielder who is as comfortable going forward as he is breaking down opposition attacks and could well be tempted by a move to the Premier League.

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Jorge Martinez’s agent claims to be in contact with Manchester City and one other English club.

The Catania striker has seen his future become a hot topic of conversation over recent weeks, after a number of eye-catching showings in Serie A.

He further underlined his class with a staring role in Catania’s recent 3-1 win over reigning champions Inter Milan, helping to bring him to the attention of a European audience.

The Uruguayan is now tipped to be on his way out of Stadio Angelo Massimino over the summer, with interest in his services hotting up.

Manchester City are already known to be admirers of his talent, while his representative has revealed that another Premier League club is also in the running.

“Many Italian clubs have expressed an interest in Jorge, but the only negotiation at the moment is with Manchester City,” Daniel Delgado told calciomercato.it.

“There is also another English team seriously interested.” (Sky Sports)

Dubbed the next Xabi Alonso, Javi Martinez has been linked with a move away from unfashionable Atletico Bilbao for a couple of years now and the player’s agent is clearly trying his hardest to make a move a reality. Manchester City are apparently keen to bring in some young talent to the club and they would do well to snap up the £16m rated Spanish under 21 International.

The rangy midfielder works well both as a battling influence, able to break down opposition attacks, as well as pushing forwards himself with the added ability to strike a long range effort with good accuracy. The 21 year old may feel that had he been playing for a ‘bigger’ club then he may have been given a full international cap by now and therefore he may feel a move to the Premier League an option too good to turn down.

Manchester City obviously have money to burn and this is the type of move that they could realistically pull off as long as they can beat the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid to his signature as both Spanish giants have registered their admiration for the 6 foot 3 youngster.

As for the “other English team” who are seriously interested, that team is said to be Liverpool but they may struggle to match the Eastlands outfit if a bidding war ensues.

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