Javi Martínez Trains Alone Ahead Of Possible Return To Athletic

Javi Martínez trained separately from his Bayern Munich teammates on Monday (BILD)

Athletic fans called for the club to sign Javi Martínez over the summer. Of course not everyone wants the 32-year-old to return, but a large majority believe Martínez would greatly improve the team. Those voices got much louder following Athletic’s 2-0 defeat against Granada in the season opener.

The club has been chasing Martínez for nearly two years now and a deal seems close. Martínez has asked to return to Athletic and Bayern Munich agreed to help facilitate the move. Club Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge even confirmed in a recent interview that Bayern won’t put any obstacles in the way.

However, Bayern won’t let Martínez leave for free. With one year left on his deal the Germans want some form of compensation. Initially, Bayern asked for €15 million to sell Martínez but that number has since dropped to €6 million. Martínez is also willing to lower his wages to return to Athletic.

All signs point to Martínez going back to San Mamés this summer and the move looks even more likely following Bayern Munich’s training session on Monday. Martínez worked separately from the rest of his teammates, indicating that an exit may be close. At the same time, Thiago worked normally with the group despite also being heavily linked with a move away.

The two clubs have until 5 October to get a deal done, though the sooner the better. Finalizing a transfer within in the next few days would give Javi Martínez plenty of time to be incorporated into the team with Athletic in the midst of a two-week break.

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