Manchester United and Chelsea are both interested in signing Real Madrid centre-back Joan Martinez, according to AS.
The Madrid-based publication claims that the two Premier League teams are keeping close tabs on the player who has been labelled “Ramos 2.0” after the Real legend.
Martinez has a contract with the European champions until the summer of 2026, and the La Liga side are said to be confident of keeping hold of the defender.
AS report that the teenager has no interest in leaving the Bernabeu at the moment, as he is hopeful that he can make his first-team breakthrough at Real.
What do United fans need to know about the centre-half?
Martinez started out in Levante’s youth team before Real Madrid beat Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Valencia and Sevilla to his signature in July last year.
The 16-year-old quickly moved up from the Under 17s to the Under 19s, having played in 5 UEFA Youth League matches last season before his team were knocked out by AC Milan on penalties in the quarter-final.
At international level, Martinez has been a regular starter for Spain’s Under 17s since making his debut in October last year. However, he was part of the side that lost all three group games at the European Championships back in May.
Martinez has been praised by a Real Madrid first-team player
The youngster came on as a substitute against AC Milan in a pre-season friendly earlier this week, and Lucas Vazquez was full of praise for his performance:
“I wasn’t where he is when I was 16. He’s an incredible kid and he played a very good game against Milan. He’s a centre-back with a brutal level of potential and we’re all going to try to help him so he continues to develop.”
