Arsenal are reportedly prioritising a move for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez after having an opening bid of £25million rejected.
According to The Athletic, Arsenal's defensive priority for this summer is Martinez due to the 24-year-old's ability to play at centre-back and left back. Martinez is reportedly keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium, and the Eredivisie champions are rumoured to have rejected a bid in the region of £25million.
Despite the Gunners' opening offer being turned down by the Dutch outfit, Arsenal are expected to return with an improved bid as they look to seal a fourth signing of the summer. Although there have been whispers of interest from Manchester United, there's been some speculation about a possible move to the Gunners' north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
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Speaking on the Talking Transfers Podcast, via HITC, journalist Graeme Bailey has suggested that Spurs could even look to involve Steven Bergwijn in a potential move for the Argentine defender: "Arsenal have gone in for him, they like him a lot. There’s a lot of interest in this guy, but the big thing with him is that he wants to leave Ajax. We understand he’s told Ajax he wants to leave, he plays on the left side, he’s an outstanding player, he can cover a lot of positions, he can play centre-half, he can play left-back and he can play in the midfield.
"Again, this may be a north London battle, because we’re hearing that Tottenham like this guy a lot and they do have a bit of a trump card possibly because Ajax really want Steven Bergwijn, so could that potentially offer him in exchange?"
Speaking about his future whilst on international duty earlier this month, Bergwijn admitted that he'd like to move on from Spurs: "Have I talked to [Ajax coach] Alfred Schreuder about my future? I'm at Oranje now and then we'll have a look. It would be nice if there was clarity soon. I just have to go play, but I want to leave Spurs now, that's for sure," he is quoted as saying by Dutch media outlet Algemeen Dagblad.
"Whether it is important that my new club plays in the Champions League? That's not even top priority. Though it would be nice. What's important is that I'm going to play."
A swap move for Bergwijn and Martinez is of course unlikely, and as things stand, Arsenal are the frontrunners for his signature. Stranger things have happened in football though, so let's see how this saga plays out.
