Manchester United are closing in on the £46million signing of Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez.
Ajax have accepted they cannot keep hold of the Argentina international, who has told them of his desire to move to Old Trafford. United are understood to have submitted an improved bid for Martinez, 24, which sources claim Ajax are ready to accept.
The Dutch club have already begun the process of recruiting a replacement for Martinez, with Mykola Matviyenko of Shakhtar Donetsk one option. United’s imminent capture of Martinez means departures for Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones, to ensure Erik ten Hag’s squad is not overloaded with centre-backs.
Ten Hag already has skipper Harry Maguire, World Cup winner Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof, with Martinez’s arrival giving him four centre-halves from which to choose.
United chief executive Richard Arnold and Football Director John Murtough are brokering the Martinez deal and keeping ten Hag informed of developments, while he is in Australia with the squad on their pre-season tour.
As well as Martinez, United are hoping to finalise the signing of free agent Christian Eriksen in the coming days, while they have not given up on their pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frankie De Jong. The deal has been held up over deferred wages and bonuses owed to De Jong by Barca, who want to offload the £70m-rated Dutch star to help address their huge financial problems.
As things begin to accelerate off the pitch, Ten Hag's tenure got off to the perfect start on it, as they thrashed Liverpool 4-0 in Bangkok on Tuesday (July 12). The Dutchman put out a strong side to take on their old foes, with Jurgen Klopp opting to use the as more of an opportunity to get minutes into the legs of his extended squad.
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Nevertheless, it was an encouraging display from United, with goals from Jadon Sancho, Fred, Anthony Martial and Facundo Pellistri earning Ten Hag a winning start. And while he refused to go overboard with praise for his players, he admitted there were causes for optimism at this early juncture.
"I am satisfied today. It was a team with a great sprit and we know we are just getting started," he told MUTV. "We made some mistakes in the press, we conceded some chances, but we created a lot.
"We have to work hard to cut out the mistakes but of course we are happy. I know we have good players. We have started to build a team and I am happy with the first game.
"It will take a lot of time. I have seen a lot of mistakes. Liverpool played three teams, they were not at their strongest. We will not overestimate this result. But still, I have seen some really good things. A lot of speed and creativity up front."
