Newcastle transfer news: Deal ‘agreed in principle’ to sign South American wonderkid
Newcastle transfer news: Deal ‘agreed in principle’ to sign South American wonderkid
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Newcastle United are reportedly closing in on the signing of Ecuadorian teenage talent Johan Martinez from Independiente del Valle.
Eddie Howe’s side have expanded their scouting network to South America following the arrival of new sporting director Ross Wilson and global talent scout Thomas Federspiel.
“Moving forward, we definitely want to expand our recruitment network,” Wilson told reporters at the end of last year. “We’ve already done that, to be honest, in my time here. We’ve already expanded the recruitment network. We’ll continue to do so as we move forward.
“I think it’s also clear that we feel that it’s highly likely, not always, but highly likely that there’ll be more value outside of the Premier League than there is in it.
“It’s not always the case, but I think it would be a fair assumption to say that’s something we’ll be looking into.”
?⚪️⚫️ Newcastle have agreed deal in principle to sign Independiente del Valle winger Johan Martinez, here we go!
Ecuadorian 2009 born talent will join as soon as he turns 18, after verbal agreement in place. ??
Clubs hope to sign all documents this week. pic.twitter.com/iPm1YL4w9S
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 30, 2026
Martinez set to join Newcastle after deal ‘agreed in principle’
While Newcastle are keen to bolster their first-team squad this summer, they are also looking to unearth hidden gems and recruit young talent who can develop into stars for the future.
Sixteen-year-old Martinez is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in South America and Newcastle appear to have won the race for his signature.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle have agreed deal in principle to sign Martinez from Independiente del Valle ahead of this summer’s transfer window.
Romano has given his trademark ‘here we go’ to the deal, claiming that a verbal agreement is in place between both parties, who are hopeful of sign all the necessary documents this week.
Should the deal be finalised, Martinez will officially join Newcastle when he turns 18 due to international transfer laws on overseas players.
Martinez to follow in footsteps of Caicedo, Hincapie, Pacho
Martinez is the latest talent to emerge from Independiente del Valle’s renowned academy after the likes of Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie and William Pacho.
Midfielder Caicedo was signed by Brighton & Hove Albion from Independiente for just £4m in 2021 before being sold to Chelsea two-and-a-half years later for a then-British-record fee of £115m.
Defender Hincapie – now at Arsenal – swapped Independiente for Argentine outfit Talleres in 2020 before making the move to Europe and joining Bayer Leverkusen for around €6m the following year.
As for Pacho, he initially made the move to Belgian side Royal Antwerp from Independiente in 2022 before joining Bundesliga team Eintracht Frankfurt a year later, and the defender now plies his trade at Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain.
Written by
Oliver Thomas