Atlanta United has reached out to Josef Martinez’s representatives about negotiating a new contract, team president Darren Eales said Sunday. He said the two sides are going to talk.
Martinez became the first player in MLS history to be named the MVP of the All-Star game, the league and the MLS Cup in the same season. He set the league’s scoring record in the regular season, with 31 goals, and the entire season, with 35 goals.
Martinez has three years remaining on his current contract. He had total compensation of $1,387,318 in the 2018 season. Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco was the league’s highest-paid player with a salary of $7,115,555.67, according to the MLS Players Association salary database. Miguel Almiron was Atlanta United’s highest-paid player last season with a salary of $2,297,000.
“We are going to talk,” Eales said.
Though reportedly a transfer target for other clubs, Martinez, a 25-year-old native of Venezuela, has repeatedly said that he enjoys living in Atlanta and playing for Atlanta United. He said he would want to leave only when the club decides that it no longer needs him.
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