Manchester United have agreed to a fee close to £55m to sign Argentine center-back Lisandro Martinez from Ajax. The club followed the announcement saying that the deal is subject to a medical but an announcement was required as Ajax had to inform the Amsterdam stock exchange. Erik Ten Hag wanted Martinez signed in time to link up with the squad for their pre-season tour and is most likely to make his debut against Atletico Madrid at the end of this month.
View this post on Instagram
Martinez becomes Ten Hag’s third signing of the summer transfer window after signing Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen. The United recruitment board suggested the club to sign Pay Torres as the ideal left-footed CB, but Ten Haag preferred Martinez, having coached him for three years at Ajax where they won two titles and the Dutch cup together.
United wasn’t the only English club interested in Martinez, with old adversaries Arsenal also looking to do a deal at one point. The Gunners had one offer on the table and their interest cooled down as they believed 47m for Martinez was too much to ask. This gave Manchester United and Ten Hag a much clearer path to sign the Argentine defender.
Manchester United is investing £46.5m for Martinez, which is not the first time the club has gone big to sign a center-half. The Dutch club also confirmed in their statement that the total value of the transfer could go up to £57m once all the add-ons are taken into account.
View this post on Instagram
The 24-year-old has reportedly committed to a five-year contract with the Red Devils that will keep him at the club till the summer of 2027 and will earn £ 120,000 a week.
In one of Manchester United’s interviews, their former defender Jaap Stam outlined why Martinez is going to be a brilliant signing for United. He said, “Whether Martinez is worth £50m, that is difficult to say. This kind of money has become normal, especially in England. I have become a fan of his. I think he’s a fantastic guy, with a good temperament and a winning mentality. For trainers, those are great players to work with.
“You can clearly see Ten Hag’s approach is to dominate matches and control the opponent’s half. Then you play with a lot of space in the back and you need players who are reasonably fast and not afraid to cover, which Martinez is very capable of.”
[Featured Image Credit: Fabrizio Romano]
Shashank Iyer