Lisandro Martinez is closing in on a move to Manchester United - but only after the player personally rejected an approach from Arsenal, according to reports.
Erik ten Hag has chased the Argentinian for much of his first summer window at Old Trafford and looks poised to land one of his top targets. Mirror Football reported on Wednesday that Ajax had accepted defeat in their bid to keep the 24-year-old, after he made his desire to join United clear.
Negotiations between the two clubs have been ongoing for a number of weeks and after a breakthrough, there is now hope a deal could be concluded quickly. United weren’t the only team to be in the reckoning for Martinez however, with the Gunners registering more than one bid for the versatile defender.
Mikel Arteta is still in the market for reinforcements, having already signed Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos so far this summer. The Spaniard would have likely deployed Martinez as a defensive midfielder, with his options at the heart of his defence bolstered by the return of loanee William Saliba.
But according to De Telegraaf, Martinez made his stance on moving to the Emirates clear, personally refusing their approach in order to grease the wheels for his imminent switch to Old Trafford.
The opportunity to link up with his former boss Ten Hag is clearly a contributing factor in the decision, having won titles in back-to-back seasons with Ajax. Martinez proved his worth to the Dutchman last term, winning the club’s player of the season award, operating in a number of different roles.
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"He can play left-back, left central defender and left controlling midfielder," Ten Hag stated last season. "He has good technique, overview on the ball, duelling power, but he has less walking ability, for example."
Former United defender Jaap Stam also thinks Martinez has the capability to play in a number of roles, but is backing the prospective new signing to carve a niche out as a screen for Ten Hag’s shaky back four.
"Because Martinez is comfortable on the ball he can also play in front of the defence. And I don't rule out that Ten Hag will use him there," Stam explained.
"You can see that Ten Hag's approach is clearly to dominate games and to control the opponent's half. When you play with a lot of space in the back and you need players who are reasonably fast and not afraid to cover. Tyrell Malacia has that and Martinez certainly does. The fact that ten Hag wants to reunite with Martinez, a Copa America winner, has to do with his footballing qualities.
"Martinez is very skilled and creative in his passing. The more players he has like that, the more ten Hag can keep the ball and the less counters they'll face. What is also important for that, especially in the strongest league in the world, is communication and who he might be paired with at the heart of the defence."
