Liverpool are about to wrap up a brilliant bit of business, beating Bayern Munich to the signing of 17-year-old Colombian wonderkid Samuel Martínez.
The club has been quietly working on this deal with Atlético Nacional for months. It looks like the fee is going to be around £740,000, which feels like an absolute steal in today’s market. Martínez has already flown over to Merseyside to sort out the final details, get his medical done, and sign a nice five-year contract.
What's really reassuring is that this deal didn't lose any momentum when the club changed managers recently, with Andoni Iraola coming in to replace Arne Slot. The recruitment team just kept working away in the background.
The 17-year-old is travelling along with his family and agent Daniel Neumuller, with Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra reporting on the upcoming deal on X.
🚨 A esta hora viaja Samuel Martínez (17) rumbo a Reino Unido junto a su familia y su agente, Daniel Neumüller, para presentar exámenes médicos con el #Liverpool. Transferencia histórica para el mediocampista colombiano 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/nABsHmsqFx
— Pipe Sierra (@PSierraR) July 18, 2026
Liverpool were first reported to be closing in on Martinez’s signing in May, after positive negotiations with the teenager’s club.
At the time, a deal worth in the region of $1 million (£740,000) was said to have been agreed, along with a sell-on clause which will protect Atletico Nacional in the event of a future sale.
Beating Bayern to his signature
Make no mistake, this is a massive statement of intent from Liverpool. Bayern Munich were absolutely desperate to sign him. They had been scouting him for months and honestly thought they had the upper hand because Martínez’s agent, Daniel Neumüller, has really strong connections in Germany.
The scouts over in Munich were raving about him, even comparing his elegant running style and power to the legendary Brazilian midfielder Kaká. But despite Bayern pushing hard, Martínez looked at the pathway available at Anfield and decided Liverpool was the best place for his career.
According to reports in the Athletic our head of South American scouting, Fernando Troiani, academy recruitment boss Chris Dowling, and global talent director Matt Newberry all put in the hard yards to get this over the line.
The waiting game
Now for the catch: we’re going to have to be patient before we actually see him out on the pitch. Because of the post-Brexit transfer rules for signing young foreign players, Martínez can’t officially move to England until he turns 18 in April 2027.
Because of that, Liverpool's plan is to get the paperwork and transfer fully finalized right now, but leave him on loan at Atlético Nacional for the upcoming season. He gets to stay in a comfortable environment and play regular first-team football.
If you want to know why the club are so excited, you only have to look at what he did at the Under-17 South American Championship. He was the standout player of the tournament, grabbing three assists and completely running the show as Colombia thrashed Argentina 4-0 in the final to lift the trophy.
Stockpiling the best young talent
This signing is part of a clear pattern. Liverpool are working incredibly hard to snap up the best young talent in the world before their price tags shoot up to £50 million or £60 million.
If you look at our business over the last few months, the academy is getting seriously stacked. We brought in the highly-rated Senegalese defender Mor Talla Ndiaye for £1 million, spent £2.5 million on center-back Ifeanyi Ndukwe from Austria Vienna, and snapped up Dara Jikiemi from Celtic.
Adding Samuel Martínez to that list shows the club is building something special for the future. He’s exactly the kind of exciting, driving midfielder fans love to watch, and beating a giant like Bayern Munich to get him makes it taste even sweeter.
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