Manchester United are on the cusp of a £46.5m deal for Lisandro Martinez – and have club legend and Ajax chief Edwin van der Sar for finally achieving a breakthrough.
The Red Devils have been chasing the Argentine defender – who was named Player of the Year last season – for several weeks but have struggled to agree a fee with the Eredivisie champions.
Ajax has already lost Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui to Bayern Munich and Sebastien Haller to Borussia Dortmund this summer and were very reluctant to lose any more of their stars.
As a result, they played hard with both United and Arsenal over a fee for Martinez, with the Gunners turning down multiple offers for the 24-year-old.
But now Dutch newspaper The Telegraph report that United reached an important breakthrough on Wednesday after hours of talks with Ajax.
The Red Devils have agreed to pay a total package of €55 million (£46.5 million), including various bonuses and add-ons.
All that remains now is that both clubs agree on the terms and structure of the payment and have it signed by, in the case of Ajax, the supervisory board, and in the case of United, the Glazers.
Ajax top man Van der Sar – who played for United of course – is credited with a crucial role in Wednesday’s talks.
It was the Dutchman who gave the transfer ‘a step in the right direction’ and now both United and Ajax expect to reach a full agreement on Thursday.
Interestingly, Ajax’s hierarchy doesn’t feel they will ever get such a high fee for Martinez again and have reluctantly come to the conclusion that now is the right time to cash in on the centre-back, especially given concerns about his length.
Martinez himself also played a major role in the transfer, with De Telegraaf reporting that he personally rejected Arsenal and then made it clear to Ajax that he only wanted a move to Old Trafford.
The Argentine is keen to reunite with longtime boss Erik ten Hag in Manchester and considers the transfer a ‘dream move’, with the central defender eager to test himself in the Premier League.
Martinez will be United’s second summer signing after Tyrell Malacia and they are still hoping to bring in Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona, although the midfielder still has major reservations about leaving the Camp Nou.
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