Monaco to beat Newcastle United to signing of Gelson Martins

Gelson Martins is set to join Monaco on a season-long loan until the end of the season.

Newcastle were actively pursuing the Portuguese winger, who has found game time hard to come by since joining Atletico Madrid last summer.

Rafa Benitez was hoping to broker a deal that would see Newcastle part with 5 million euros in exchange for Gelson Martins for the rest of this campaign.

However, the Premier League outfit have now been beaten to the signing of the pacey Portuguese international, who is instead set to join relegation-threatened Monaco.

The move will see Gelson link up with compatriot Rony Lopes, while Portuguese coach Leonardo Jardim is also set to return to the club as manager after Thierry Henry was sacked late on Thursday night.

Gelson should offer experience, explosiveness and creativity to Monaco’s ranks, which should prove vital if they are to avoid the dreaded drop this campaign.