Wolves have identified Barcelona’s Gerard Martin as a transfer target this summer.
The Old Gold are working hard behind the scenes amid significant changes at the top.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs has departed as Vitor Pereira prepares to take on a greater role on the transfer front with the help of Jorge Mendes, Valdir Cardoso and Domenico Teti, whose hiring as technical director is pending.
It’s set to be a busy summer at Molineux, not only off the pitch but on it too, with plenty of targets already being linked to the Old Gold.
Barcelona’s Martin is of interest to Wolves as a possible replacement for Manchester City-bound Rayan Ait-Nouri.
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Gerard Martin showcased his quality in the Champions League
Given that Barcelona are already looking at replacements for Martin, it would be fair to assume that Wolves’ interest has a strong chance of materialising.
Wolves can sign Martin for just £10m this summer, which is an absolute steal given how inspired the defender’s performances have been on the biggest stage of them all.
After graduating to Barcelona’s first team after a season in the development side, the Spaniard’s development has been rapid, as the world saw in the Champions League semi-final second leg.
In one of the ties of the season, Barcelona lost 7-6 to Inter Milan on aggregate to miss out on a place in the Champions League final.
Though it was the Italians who progressed to the final, the Catalans’ performance over two legs won’t be forgotten, most prominently Martin’s.
The second leg of the Champions League semi-final belonged to Martin, who was the mastermind behind two of Barcelona’s three goals on the night, claiming two assists.
With a place in the Champions League final on the line, the stakes couldn’t have been higher for the 23-year-old to impress, and it’s fair to say that the Wolves target did just that.
Over 120 minutes of action, Martin contributed 16 defensive actions as well as being a force to be reckoned with in the final third, with two assists and three key passes.
Plenty of Wolves fans would’ve been watching the sensational contest unfold, perhaps being completely unaware that their club could be fighting to sign one of the man-of-the-match contenders.
Martin is capable of replacing Rayan Ait-Nouri
Signing a replacement for Ait-Nouri won’t be easy, but Wolves might strike gold if they secure a deal for Martin.
| Statistic | Gerard Martin | Rayan Ait-Nouri |
| Minutes played | 1793 | 3407 |
| Goals | 1 | 5 |
| Assists | 6 | 7 |
Though the Barcelona star has a lot to work on, having only secured one season at the top level, the signs are there that he is more than capable of replacing the magic Ait-Nouri provides.
Pereira wanted to improve Ait-Nouri defensively, and now, the boss might have a different scholar to inspire, as Martin has emerged as being firmly on Wolves’ radar.
It would be an inspired move from the Old Gold to go for the defender, who only signed an extension at Barcelona this year, in a transfer that represents some long overdue ambition at Molineux.