Man Utd increase offer to €50m for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez
Manchester United have made an increased offer to Ajax for Lisandro Martinez, and are confident of winning the race to sign the Argentinian international ahead of Premier League rivals Arsenal.
90min understands United’s latest offer is worth around €50m, inclusive of bonuses, with the overall figure reaching the valuation Ajax had set to sell the 24-year-old – even if Ajax were looking for that figure guaranteed in any deal. United’s previous offer was worth €43m, potentially rising to €45m with add-ons.
Martinez has emerged as Ten Hag’s top defensive target after United missed out on another Ajax defender, Jurrien Timber, and has already confirmed to Ajax his desire to leave the club ahead of the new season.
The decision over whether to accept the bid is now left to Ajax’s supervisory board. 90min has learned that United are confident that the Dutch giants’ demands have been met and they will soon be able to finalise the signing. It’s even believed plans for a medical are already in place.
Arsenal have also made more than one offer for Martinez, but it remains to be seen if they will match the latest United bid. Whether they do or not, United are “very confident” that the Argentine would opt for Old Trafford to play under Ten Hag again.
Sources have confirmed that United are also continuing talks over Antony, having identified the 22-year-old as their primary attacking target for the summer window. The Brazilian star has also made it abundantly clear to Ajax that he would like to leave the club this summer to take up a new challenge.
That the Dutch champions were looking for at least €120m to sell the pair, meaning Antony’s valuation initially came in at closer to €70m.
United are still short of that asking price for the right winger, and Ajax are not open to taking any less for one of their most prized assets given they have already raised significant funding through the sales of key players this summer. United remain determined to sign Antony amid uncertainty over Cristiano Ronaldo’s future.
