Bayern Munich: Javi Martinez holds talks with Athletic Bilbao
Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez has reportedly held talks with Athletic Bilbao regarding a transfer in summer.
There are going to be few outgoings at Bayern Munich in summer. The club will have to cash in for few players that will be entering the final year of the contract. Javi Martinez is one of these players that could be looking for a move away from Bavaria.
The Spanish midfielder is on a steady decline in his career. He is no longer a first-choice option in central midfield. Martinez can also play in central defense, but his lack of pace makes him vulnerable against rapid forwards. It will be better for all parties if he leaves Die Roten in summer.
Die Roten are unlikely to extend Martinez’s contract, which is set to expire in 2021. This summer will be the last opportunity for the German club to get a decent fee for the Spanish midfielder. According to Sky Sports, Martinez’s entourage has held talks with Athletic Bilbao regarding a summer move.
This report insists that Bilbao’s president is eager to sign the Spanish midfielder. Martinez has been heavily linked with a move back to Bilbao in the past two years. The Spanish club’s sporting director had publicly admitted that they would be happy to bring Martinez back to the club.
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Sky Sports also insist that Bilbao may face domestic competition to sign Martinez in summer. Getafe is also interested in signing the 31-year-old midfielder as they want to bolster their options in central defense.
Martinez had featured in 19 games for Die Roten this season. However, nine of these appearances have been from the bench. The Spaniard was struggling to get minutes at the start of the season under Niko Kovac. However, the Croatian’s departure and an injury crisis in defense helped Martinez to get some regular playing time at the end of 2019.
However, the run of consistent playing time for Martinez came to an abrupt halt as he suffered a serious muscle injury against Wolfsburg in 2019. He was on sidelines for almost two months due to this injury as he returned to action at the end of February.
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Martinez has been an important part of Die Roten’s success in the past eight seasons. However, the time is right for him to start an adventure and get more playing time during the final years of his career. Rekordmeister will get a small fee for him, but interest from multiple clubs can help them to get a reasonable fee. Bilbao look favourites at the moment as Martinez may also like to go back to his home after a good spell in Bavaria.