Rijo Sam Daniel
Manchester United table transfer bid to pip Arsenal and sign Ajax star Lisandro Martinez
According to the Argentine journalist Hernan Sisto of TyC Sports on Twitter (h/t Metro), Manchester United have proposed a bid of their own to beat Arsenal and sign Ajax star Lisandro Martinez this summer. Both English clubs are gearing up to be part of a bidding war which seems to have now become underway.
Earlier this week, the Gunners had tabled an offer worth £34.5million, having improved it following their initial setback. Now, Man United have matched that proposal as they have held a long-standing interest in Martinez and are not keen on losing out on him to their direct rivals.
That being said, the Dutch side is expected to turn down this latest bid, although the Red Devils have declared themselves to be a contender in this transfer race. It is not surprising to see Erik ten Hag’s team react firmly to not fall behind in this pursuit for the Argentinian ace who was named Ajax’s Player of the Season.
Man United to up their offer?
The Eredivisie club is proving to be quite a headache for us, although they cannot be blamed, having already lost several stars to other teams. In fact, that has made Ajax financially strong as they no longer need more funds which could be quite problematic for us.
After all, that could suggest that the Amsterdam-based club would only entertain offers that are simply irrefutable. That explains why we have struggled to complete moves for Antony and Jurrien Timber as well, with Ajax remaining adamant about their expensive valuation.
In any case, if there are active plans to bring in Martinez, we must improve our bid, with Mikel Arteta’s side also being in a similar position. It would be wise if the Manchester board do just that, as we cannot afford to start the next season with the same backline that struggled last time around.
The likes of Axel Tuanzebe, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly seem to be on their way out of Old Trafford, which in and of itself calls for the need for a new signing in defence. After all, we cannot simply ignore their potential exits, as maintaining depth is crucial now that five substitutions are allowed for Erik ten Hag to choose from.
Supposedly, Martinez is “keen” to move to Emirates, which would undoubtedly be an issue for us. Perhaps ten Hag can play a role in levelling the playing field by convincing the 24-year-old centre-half about joining the Mancunians.
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Perhaps teaming up with someone familiar like ten Hag is much safer than joining Arteta’s side, especially with the 2022 Qatar World Cup being on the horizon. That could perhaps be food for thought for Martinez since he is not a guaranteed starter for Argentina just yet.
