Atletico Madrid sign Gelson Martins on free transfer after Sporting exit

The Portuguese winger joins for free after opting out of his contract with Sporting

Atletico Madrid have completed the free transfer of Sporting winger Gelson Martins.

The Portuguese winger put pen to paper on a six-year deal after opting out of his deal in Lisbon. The deal is the subject of a legal challenge with his former club looking to recoup in the region of €45m.

Diego Simeone is delighted to have got his man and he believes he will add a new dimension to Atleti's attack.

"We have been watching him over the last year and we saw him in the Europa League," he said. "He will bring us added strength on the right hand side of the attack and can even play in an attacking trio."

Martins rescinded his contract with Sporting last month, one of nine players to quit the Lisbon club after an attack in May on a training camp by fans in which Dutch forward Bas Dost was injured and the dressing room vandalised.

The incidents came at the end of a tumultuous campaign for Sporting who finished third in the Primeira Liga and reached the Europa League quarter-finals where they lost 2-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Atletico. Martins played in both legs.

Simeone added: "We are happy with his arrival and we will try to get him involved as soon as possible to see where he can position himself within the team."

Martins joins from Sporting (Getty Images)

The 23-year-old has been capped 19 times by Portugal and was part of their squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, appearing as a substitute in the 1-0 win over Morocco.

Martins is Atletico's fifth close-season signing after Thomas Lemar from AS Monaco, Rodri (Villarreal), Jonny Castro (Celta Vigo) and Antonio Adan (Real Betis).