After being handed his 2018 Landon Donovan MLS MVP award, Josef Martinez told reporters with a smile that he'd be in Atlanta as long as they wanted him.
Suffice to say: Atlanta United want him. ATLUTD president Darren Eales said that the club have reached out to Martinez's representation to discuss a new contract.
"We are going to talk," Eales told Doug Roberson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Martinez, 25, scored an MLS single-season record 31 goals this season, then added another four in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs en route to winning MLS Cup MVP as Atlanta toppled the Portland Timbers 2-0 in front of a record crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. To date he has scored 50 goals in just 54 MLS regular-season appearances.
In 2018 Martinez was paid $1,387,318, according to figures released by the MLS Players Association. That number was third-highest on his team, behind Miguel Almiron ($2,297,000) and Ezequiel Barco ($1,425,000).
