Lisandro Martinez ‘demands Man Utd transfer in next 48 hours’ with Arsenal to miss out

Manchester United target Lisandro Martinez has reportedly demanded Ajax sell him to the Red Devils in the next 48 hours. The Argentina international has also attracted interest from Arsenal. However, a move to Old Trafford now seems to be on the cards with the 24-year-old eager to reunite with Erik ten Hag.

Manchester United want a new defender to provide competition for the likes of Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof.

And, according to The Mirror, the Red Devils are in pole position to secure Martinez’s signing.

The Argentine is reportedly ready to ‘go to war’ with his current employers, with many team-mates thinking his mind is now made up.

Martinez could even refuse to attend training should Ajax refuse to let him go and wants an arrangement with United to be rubber-stamped within the next 48 hours.

At the moment, however, the Red Devils’ bid has fallen short.

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They’ve put £43m on the table for the South American but Ajax, who are determined to keep hold of their best players, want even more in order to let him go.

Martinez is supposedly losing patience with Ajax as a result, with the Eredivisie giants hoping for a ‘bidding war’ to break out.

He wants to move to United to play under Ten Hag, having spent the last three years performing under the Argentine in Amsterdam.

Martinez was signed as a replacement for Matthijs de Ligt back in the summer transfer window of 2019, shortly after the Dutchman’s move to Juventus.

And he’s not disappointed in the time since, helping Ajax win four trophies during that spell.

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The report adds that United remain hopeful of signing Frenkie de Jong this summer, too, even though that saga remains ongoing.

Reports in Catalonia have claimed the Barcelona star is reluctant to leave the Nou Camp, despite Ten Hag’s best attempts to secure his signature.

Yet United are staying calm and continue to work on a transfer as they gear up for the start of the new Premier League season.

As well as De Jong and Martinez, the Red Devils are also pushing to land Christian Eriksen.

And they appear to be onto a winner with that signing, with the Denmark international having a verbal agreement with the fallen Premier League giants over a move to Manchester this summer.

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Tyrell Malacia remains the only new recruit so far, with the Dutchman moving from Feyenoord.

And Ten Hag has opened up on the 22-year-old to club media, saying: “He’s a player, so I think he’s the modern left-back or full-back.

“He suits the profile and most important is, from every full-back, that he closes the right area, but he can also take part in the offensive side of our game, and he can do that really well.

“And I think he will really contribute to the team.”

Martinez, meanwhile, recently insisted he was ‘proud’ of his Ajax legacy.

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“I am so proud of what I have achieved at Ajax and under Ten Hag,” he said.

“I grew as a player and became an Argentinian international thanks to my development at Ajax.

“And I even got to wear the captaincy armband for my country.

“That was the day my father cried, it was very emotional. My mum cried too, my uncles, aunties, cousins, everyone.

“The World Cup is definitely my goal. We have great players and we must all be ready for it. We won the Copa America together and can do it again.”

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source: express.co.uk