Chelsea ‘conversations’ to sign Colombian gem emerge as Liverpool ‘final decision’ reached
Chelsea made an attempt to bring Samuel Martinez to Stamford Bridge, but the Colombian attacking midfielder chose Liverpool instead, according to his parents.
On July 21, 2026, Liverpool announced the signing of Martinez from Atletico Nacional.
The 17-year-old will move to Liverpool ahead of the 2027/28 campaign after he turns 18.
Martinez came to the fore when he starred for Colombia in their U17 South American Championship success in April.
The teenager played in all six of Colombia’s games at the tournament and provided three assists, including one each in the 3-0 semi-final defeat of Brazil and 4-0 final win against Argentina.
Trusted journalist Pipe Sierra wrote on X at 1:56pm on May 22 about the fee and the structure of the deal: “Exclusive: Samuel Martínez (17) is just a few details away from becoming a new #Liverpool player.
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“They reached an agreement for him to become the new talent of the ‘reds’ for 1M$ and sign for 5 years.
“They are advancing in the final documentation after outbidding other European giants
“The Colombian will stay at #AtléticoNacional until he reaches the age of majority.
“The ‘verdolaga’ will retain % of future sale”
Martinez’s parents, Jairo ‘El Indio’ Martinez and Victoria Valencia, have now revealed in an interview with Gol Caracol, as relayed by SportWitness, that Chelsea, who appointed Xabi Alonso as their manager in the summer, wanted to sign the teenager, but he chose Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool instead.
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Samuel Martinez picked Liverpool over Chelsea
Jairo Martinez said: “Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Barcelona, Watford, Udinese, Chelsea, Manchester United, among others, all wanted him.”
Valencia stated: “It was like a dream to experience that it wasn’t just Liverpool.
“There were 30 teams around the world, and we didn’t sleep for almost a month and a half.
“Everyone was calling at all hours.
“We lived on European time for a month.”
The parents continued: “We had conversations with everyone, but the decision was Samuel’s.
“We can say whatever we want, but we respect his wishes, his decisions, what he feels comfortable with.
“And he felt a connection to going to Liverpool.
“Every time an offer came in, we would sit down, plan, and look at which options were better than the others.
“Samuel is the one who makes the final decision, and at that time, he chose Liverpool.
“Lucho Diaz opened the doors to all Colombians.
“They saw in Samuel all that potential he had, which was almost similar to the things Lucho Díaz does.
Jairo Martinez further noted about Martinez: “He’s fast, has a good change of pace, is good at unbalancing defenders, has good vision, supports his teammates very well, and looks for open spaces.
“He also highlighted his ability to make quick decisions and his improvement in defensive play.
“English football is a very fast-paced game.
“When it comes to making decisions in such short periods of time, he handles those situations well.”
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