Manchester United appears to have beaten Arsenal to the signing of versatile Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez, who will become Erik ten Hag’s second signing of the summer window.
Manchester United is close to signing Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez for £46 million.
Ajax has admitted they cannot keep hold of the Argentina international, who has expressed a desire to join Manchester United. United is said to have made an improved offer for Martinez, 24, which Ajax is said to be willing to accept.
The Dutch club has already begun the search for a replacement for Martinez, with Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykola Matviyenko being one candidate. With Martinez on the verge of joining United, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe, and Phil Jones must move to ensure Erik ten Hag’s side is not overburdened with center-backs.
Ten Hag already has captain Harry Maguire, World Cup winner Raphael Varane, and Victor Lindelof, and Martinez’s arrival gives him four options in the center of the field.
United CEO Richard Arnold and Football Director John Murtough are negotiating the Martinez deal and keeping ten Hag updated on progress while the squad is on a pre-season tour in Australia.
In addition to Martinez, United hopes to complete the acquisition of free agent Christian Eriksen in the coming days, and they have not abandoned their pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frankie De Jong. The transaction has been stalled due to deferred salaries and bonuses owing to De Jong by Barcelona, which wants to transfer the £70 million-rated Dutch star to assist solve their massive financial woes.
As things begin to pick up off the field, Ten Hag’s tenure got off to a flying start with a 4-0 thrashing of Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday (July 12). The Dutchman fielded a strong team to face their old adversaries, with Jurgen Klopp preferring to use the game as an opportunity to get minutes into the legs of his extended squad.
Nonetheless, United put up a good show, with goals from Jadon Sancho, Fred, Anthony Martial, and Facundo Pellistri giving Ten Hag a winning start. And, while he refused to lavish praise on his players, he admitted there were reasons to be optimistic at this early stage.
“Today I am content. It was a spirit-filled team, and we know we’re only getting started “He revealed this to MUTV. “We made some blunders in the press, and we missed some opportunities, but we also generated a lot.
“We have to work hard to eliminate errors, but we are happy. I know we have some talented players. We’ve begun to form a team, and I’m pleased with the first game.
“It’ll take a long time. I’ve seen a number of errors. Liverpool had three teams, and they were not at their best. We shall not overstate the outcome. But I have seen some wonderful things. Up forward, there is a lot of speed and imagination.”
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