Rangers target Eric Martel will not return for another season at Austria Wien, the club’s sporting director Manuel Orlechtner explains to Laola 1.
Sitting pretty in fourth in the Austrian Bundesliga table, the highly-rated 19-year-old centre-half has played a major role in the Vienna-based side’s pursuit of a European place.
Martel, a Germany U21 international on loan from Europa League semi-finalists RB Leipzig, has played 32 games in all competitions. He’s even scored twice and set up three more from his preferred centre-half role.
Austria Wien may soon be victims of their own success, however. A number of key players are set to depart over the summer. Martel, according to Sun Sport, has more admirers than a supermodel with a Tinder Gold subscription.
Scottish Premiership giants Rangers – who faced off with Martel’s parent club at the Red Bull Arena on Thursday night – are one of his many suitors. High-flying German trio Union Berlin, Cologne and Freiburg are also keen.
And, when the subject of Martel’s future was brought up, Orlechtner left no one in any doubt as to whether the teenager would be sticking around for another season in Austria.
COULD ERIC MARTEL REPLACE CONNOR GOLDSON AT RANGERS?
“Eric Martel will change (clubs),” the sporting director says. “The signs are (that we will have to say) goodbye.”
Martel, who is represented by 2010 World Cup winner Sami Khedira and can also play in defensive midfield, is unlikely to be an RB Leipzig player next year either.
The Sun claims that he has ‘no future’ at a side who, under former Schalke boss Domenico Tedesco, have picked up more points than any other Bundesliga side – including Champions Bayern Munich – since the beginning of 2022.
Martel could step into a Connor Goldson or Leon Balogun-shaped void in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s backline. Both players are out of contract in July.
The Gers have already snapped up John Souttar from Hearts, however. Danilho Doekhi may also be on his way to Ibrox too.
