Arsenal and Manchester United are both genuinely interested in signing Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez. Although negotiating a price with the Dutch club for their star has not been easy, the two English sides are not ready to pull the plug on this deal just yet.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has suggested that the Gunners could land Martinez ahead of the Red Devils. In his column for Caught Offside, Romano wrote:
“My understanding is that these are two negotiations at different stages: Arsenal have already submitted official offers up to €40m plus add-ons for Martinez, while Manchester United are currently busy with Tyrell Malacia and Frenkie de Jong, but have had contact with Lisandro’s agents.”
So far, it is only the Gunners who have made official bids for Martinez, however none of those have been accepted. According to The Sun, the first was a €30m offer, they followed it up with a €40m bid, but saw that rejected as well. Arsenal are now believed to have tabled a third offer, where they will be offering more money up-front than in add-ons.
While Mikel Arteta and co. await Ajax’s response on the same, Manchester United have sounded out Erik ten Hag’s former team to be informed about the developments in the Martinez saga.
Fabrizio Romano says the player is willing to negotiate with both Premier League giants, with the north London club looking like the more interested party. Romano wrote:
“The player is so far open to negotiate with both clubs. Arsenal are insisting a lot this week because Arteta is understood to be a big fan of Lisandro, considered a versatile player with top team skills. For now, the Gunners’ interest is more advanced, but this still looks like it could be an open race.”
Although Manchester United feel like they have leverage in the deal for the Argentine international due to his relationship with Erik ten Hag at Ajax, they will still have to table an offer soon.
Manchester United boss’ old comments revealed as Red Devils set to sign Malacia
While the Old Trafford outfit are yet to make an official bid to challenge Arsenal in their pursuit of Lisandro Martinez, they are bringing defensive reinforcements from elsewhere. Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia is set to join the Red Devils for a reported fee of €15m according to the Manchester Evening News (MEN).
The 22-year old was initially expected to move to French club Olympique Lyon, however Manchester United acted promptly and hijacked the deal. A video shared by MEN shows Erik ten Hag signaling to his assistants at former club Ajax, asking them to take note of Malacia.
He is understood to have said: