Newcastle United appear to be getting a jump on transfer business with a deal already in the works for a talented youngster.
It was recently reported that Newcastle were thought to be frontrunners in the race to sign promising 16-year-old Johan Martinez from Independiente del Valle of Ecuador.
Journalist Rudi Galetti made the claims less than a week ago that Newcastle were leading the race, and now Fabrizio Romano has reported that things have progressed.
Romano has given the move his ‘here we go’ stamp which is usually a good indication that a deal is close to being completed, as he reports below.
In a post on X on Monday evening, Romano confirmed that Newcastle and Independiente del Valle have reached an agreement in principle.
It’s not yet a done deal, but it seems that all parties are expecting final documents to be signed later this week.
🚨⚪️⚫️ Newcastle have agreed deal in principle to sign Independiente del Valle winger Johan Martinez, here we go!
Ecuadorian 2009 born talent will join as soon as he turns 18, after verbal agreement in place. 🇪🇨
Clubs hope to sign all documents this week. pic.twitter.com/iPm1YL4w9S
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 30, 2026
It’s a big move for Newcastle to snap up another coveted youngster. Although the move won’t actually be completed until Martinez turns 18 due to rules for clubs outside the EU.
So, we’ll have to wait a while before he makes the move official, but it’s a step in the right direction regarding the club’s attempts to land top talent from South America.
The young forward has come through the same academy that produced Moises Caicedo and Piero Hincapie, so Newcastle could have potentially unearthed a gem here.
Hopefully, Newcastle can agree on a development plan with Independiente for the remainder of his time in Ecuador before his transfer to Newcastle can actually go through. Then, more importantly, Newcastle have a solid plan in place for when he arrives.