Lisandro Martinez told Ajax he wanted to move to the next level in transfer talks before he signed for Manchester United this summer.
United announced their agreement to sign Martinez from Ajax on Sunday afternoon. The Reds agreed a fee of £46.8million, rising to £55.3m, for Martinez on a five-year contract, plus an extra optional year, and he will soon become Erik ten Hag's third signing of the summer.
Although Martinez, 24, will not travel to Perth to join United on their tour of Australia, he is likely to make his debut against Atletico Madrid in Oslo on July 30 instead. Martinez is a left-footed centre-back and made 36 appearances for Ajax last term.
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Ten Hag was keen to work with Martinez again and Ajax technical manager Gerry Hamstra has admitted Ajax were helpless in keeping the player when United made enquiries. Hamstra also provided some insight into discussions with Martinez this summer.
“We didn't want to lose Martínez, but with transfer fees like this, everyone understands how it works," Hamstra told Het Parool. "We have our ambitions at Ajax. Then six basic players cannot suddenly leave. Only this year we had to deal with a confluence of circumstances. The one-on-one replacements cost more than the guys you get, to grow a year behind someone.
"It would have been ideal if we had someone ready behind Martínez and he had stayed another year. After his vacation, however, we had a conversation again. In it, Lisandro clearly indicated that he still wanted to take the step. It became increasingly clear that a longer stay was not feasible, because we are simply not at the top of the food chain.
"And then you switch on, because we have our own ambitions and want to score high again this season. Where everyone thought a draw at Benfica was a good result a few years ago, there is now disappointment. So if you want to take that next step, you really need to keep these types of players. But we reasoned from a bigger picture and were realistic.
"Martínez has undergone great development with us for three years, has become champion three times and now felt this step as the opportunity of a lifetime. He also indicated that. We also understood that.”
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