Topics: Gelson Martins, Atletico Madrid, Sporting Lisbon, La Liga
The Spanish giant announced a deal for the Portuguese winger after he terminated his contract with Sporting Lisbon.

The transfer saga that involved Gelson Martins has finally come to an end, with Atletico Madrid announcing they have signed the player on a six-year deal. The Portuguese winger attracted great attention after his impressive 2017/18 campaign and the fact that he was no longer under contract with Sporting Lisbon.

He and a number of his team-mates were attacked by their own fans after failing to secure Champions League qualification for the Primeira Liga side. As a result, the 23-year-old rescinded his deal with the club only to complete a free transfer to Spain, as stated by Los Rojiblancos on Wednesday.

However, the signing of Martins could still cost the Spanish giant a substantial fee. The fact that Simeone's side announced this as a free transfer means Sporting Lisbon is likely to come after the Europa League holder in seek of a compensation fee.

This transfer could result in a similar fiasco that Wolves faces for signing Rui Patricio, another man who terminated his contract with Leões, for nothing. The Portuguese outfit has filed a complaint to FIFA demanding $63m from the newly-promoted Premier League outfit due to a lack of necessary "just cause" for the player to cancel his deal.

Furthermore, Sporting has asked that the goalkeeper be banned for six months and Wolves be slapped with a transfer window ban. Whether they will make the same demands against Atletico remains unknown, but they will likely push for a compensation fee which Football Espana editor Colin Millar estimates at $53m.

Proof that this is a plausible outcome is the fact that the Madrid heavyweight tried and failed to reach an agreement over Martins' transfer with the Lisbon club even after he had canceled his contract. A compromise between both clubs could be reached to avoid a long battle.