Marca revealed that in recent days, Racing and the player fielded a string of calls from clubs hoping to change his destination. Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal were among them, along with sides from the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga and the Saudi League.
None of it shifted Martinez. He held firm on his decision to wear the Real Madrid shirt, turning his back on every other offer on the table.
Crucially, Real Madrid chose not to trigger the 3 million euro release clause in the player’s contract. They pushed instead for an agreement with Racing, wary of stirring up tension in negotiations and keen to protect the relationship for the future.
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