Rijo Sam Daniel
Manchester United prepare transfer bid for Ajax star Lisandro Martinez amidst Arsenal interest
According to reliable Mike Verweij of De Telegraaf via AFC Ajax on Twitter (h/t The Sun), Manchester United are preparing to make a bid for Ajax star Lisandro Martinez amidst interest from Arsenal for a potential transfer. The former have taken this stance after Jurrien Timber rejected their advances to reunite with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
Timber was one of ten Hag’s primary targets for this summer, but the youngster’s decision to remain in Amsterdam. Man United have “switched their attention to Martinez” as a result of this setback. Now, they are willing to take a step further and are preparing an offer for the latter as of now.
However, the Gunners are also in the fray right now, and they could return with another proposal after seeing their first one turned down by the Eredivisie side. The £25million bid that was rejected was not official as they verbally made Ajax aware of their interest and willingness to pay that amount.
Can Man Utd succeed in their attempt?
Martinez was named the Dutch club’s Player of the Year last season, which is quite indicative of how good he has been for them. While their fans believe that Timber is the better centre-half, the Argentine international is not too shabby either, which is quite evident because of the interest from Mikel Arteta’s side.
Timber refuted our proposal due to the uncertainties involved in a move to England, especially with the 2022 Qatar World Cup being on the horizon. He is a regular starter under Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands, and his fears about losing that spot prompted him to pass upon the chance to join us.
Things are different with Martinez, even if he is a key part of Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina national team. The 24-year-old is not a regular starter just yet as Scaloni has stuck to his proven centre-back partnership of Cristian Romero and Nicolas Otamendi so far.
Perhaps a move to the Premier League could help Martinez land the starting spot in his national team, especially with the exposure that the defender would get should he move to Carrington. That is certainly a possibility indeed, but we have to remain wary of the North Londoners in this race.
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Perhaps ten Hag could play a role in helping us get the advantage over our competitors and convince the South American centre-back to join us this summer. However, the major concerning point is how Ajax responded to Arsenal’s approach by conveying that they are not interested in selling Martinez in any case.
Ajax’s stance could be quite problematic, so it remains to be seen how this situation would pan out now that we are preparing a proposal for Martinez this summer.
