According to Fabrizio Romano, Lisandro Martinez has his heart set on moving to the Premier League which is a tremendous boost for Arsenal and Manchester United.
Both the EPL clubs have been chasing the defender and while Ajax are reluctant to part ways with him, it looks like they will have no other option but to let him leave.
Romano wrote on Twitter: “Lisandro Martínez and his camp will be clear again with Ajax board: he only wants Premier League football. So he wants to make a choice between Arsenal and Man United proposals, hoping for Ajax to let him go.
“Erik ten Hag, confident on this deal – pushing again.”
Marcel van der Kraan has further updated that Martinez’s representatives are going to hold talks with Ajax in the next 48 hours to let them know about their decision.
This basically means one of Manchester United or Arsenal should be able to land the centre-back by the end of this transfer window.
Lisandro Martinez’s 21/22 Eredivisie season by numbers [24 games]:
1,746 passes completed
89% pass accuracy
86% tackle success
83% take-on success
79 aerial duels won
66 clearances
48 tackles won
46 interceptions
25 blocks
17 chances created
15 take-ons completedHe’s good… 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/h2XPGMKstD
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) July 3, 2022
Will Lisandro Martinez choose Arsenal or Man United?
Arsenal were the first major club to make a move for the 24-year-old but in the previous few days, Man United have become the favourites to sign the defender and there are two major reasons why United are likely to get their hands on Lisandro Martinez.
Firstly, the Gunners want to use him in a dual role of a left-back and a centre-back and we don’t think the Argentine will be too eager to join them. In both these positions, Mikel Arteta has some very decent players meaning regular starts won’t be a guarantee for him.
Ten Hag though wants him purely as a central defender and since the manager is overhauling the United lineup, Martinez will get a much better chance to become a first-team regular at Old Trafford.
Second and most importantly, Lisandro Martinez will be much more eager to reunite with Erik ten Hag because they share a great relationship. Last season, he played in 24 league games for Ajax under the now Man United manager.
Money won’t be a problem for either of these two sides but Arsenal will have a really tough time convincing Lisandro Martinez to choose them over a reunion with Erik ten Hag.
