"It's an open race" - Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal are 'more advanced' than Manchester United in race to sign 24-year-old
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Arsenal are ahead of Manchester United in the race to sign Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez. The Gunners and the Red Devils are both genuinely interested in signing the Argentine centre-back.
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. 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 them 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, Manchester United have sounded out Erik ten Hag's former team to be informed about the developments in the Martinez saga.
Romano says the player is willing to negotiate with both Premier League giants, with the north London club looking like a 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."
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Manchester United feel like they have leverage in the deal for the Argentina international due to his relationship with Erik ten Hag at Ajax. However, they will still have to table an offer soon for the centre-back.
The 24-year-old made 37 appearances across competitions for the Dutch giants, contributing directly to five goals (one goal, four assists). He helped the club keep an impressive 22 clean sheets in those appearances.
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).
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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:
"That kid at left-back is amazing. Take note of him."
It would be interesting to see how Malacia fares in the Premier League next season.