Report: Most valuable free agent, is of great interest to Luton Town and Birmingham City.

Josef Martinez, a striker who will be a free agency once the MLS regular season ends, is reportedly of interest to Luton Town and Birmingham City.
The 30-year-old, who joined David Beckham’s Inter Miami in January of this year, teamed up with players like Lionel Messi in Florida, but he was unable to assist the Herons in making it to the postseason playoffs.

In the 2023 season, Martinez played 27 games for Miami, contributing one assist and seven goals as his team placed 14th in the Eastern Conference.

The striker has been a regular for his country for over a decade, making his Venezuela debut in December 2010 and going on to earn 66 caps, scoring 14 times.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, Martinez could be set for a move to England after his contract at Inter Miami expired at the end of the season.
The report claims that Premier League debutants Luton are interested in signing the forward in the coming months, as the Hatters attempt to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.

Rob Edwards’s men have understandably struggled during their first-ever Premier League campaign, collecting just five points from their opening 10 matches.

Luton’s current striking options consist of players who have earned an opportunity to play in the top flight due to their performances in the lower leagues, including Carlton Morris and ex-Stoke City man Jacob Brown.

It was widely reported in the summer that the Hatters were looking to bring Martinez to Kenilworth Road, however Edwards’s team were unsuccessful in their efforts to secure his services.

Inter Miami allegedly valued the Venezuelan at £10m during the summer transfer window, with Luton unprepared to pay that amount for a player who would be a free agent at the end of the MLS term.

The report also states that Birmingham City are in the race to sign Martinez over the next couple of months, with new manager Wayne Rooney a ‘big fan’ of the forward.

Rooney spent over a year in MLS at DC United before departing to join the Second City club, and the Manchester United legend also faced Martinez on the pitch during his brief playing days at Audi Field.

After three successive losses to start his tenure at Blues, Rooney is under pressure to deliver ‘no fear’ football without having a transfer window to immediately recruit his own players.

Due to their EFL Cup exit at Exeter City last month, Luton have a clear week of training ahead of Sunday’s clash with high-flying Liverpool at Kenilworth Road.