Manchester United have been asked to pay combined transfer fees of €125million (£106.1m) in order to sign Lisandro Martinez and Antony from Ajax. The English Premier League club has made offers for both the Argentina centre back and the Brazil forward under instruction from new manager Erik ten Hag, with personal terms in place on the two deals.
Ajax, however, want to secure substantial profit on the sale of each South American before permitting the pair to reunite with their multiple- Eredivisie winning coach at Old Trafford. Record Sport understands that both Antony and Martinez have placed pressure on the Dutch club to accept United's current offers for them.
Martinez, a central defender who can also operate as a holding midfielder or left back, has spent three successful seasons working with Ten Hag following following a €7m move from Defensa y Justicia. Antony, a left-footed forward whom the Dutch coach used predominantly off the right wing, joined from Sao Paulo in the summer of 2020.
Ten Hag – whose uncompromising managerial style led Ajax to the Eredivisie title in each of his three full seasons at the Amsterdam club – is said to have employed his personal relationship with Martinez to convince the Argentine to choose United over a competing bid from Arsenal.
Manchester United have completed just one transfer ahead of their pre-season tour of Thailand, Australia and Norway, signing another Eredivisie player, 22-year-old left back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord earlier this week. Already under pressure to deliver radical improvement to a squad that finished 6th with the club's lowest Premier League points total, United also have to handle a transfer request from their most accomplished player, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Following a campaign in which he scored 18 Premier League goals (the division's third-highest total), Ronaldo has asked to be allowed to join a Champions League club should United receive a satisfactory offer in the current transfer window. While the 37-year-old's exit would free up salary for new recruits, it will also require Ten Hag to reconstruct United's attack. Antony, 22, returned 10 goals from 30 Eredivisie and Champions League appearances last season.
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