CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs has revealed that Manchester United is ‘not anywhere near’ to potentially hijacking the signing of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax this summer and might not be able to afford the Argentine.
The Red Devils have been linked to a number of stars this summer including Frenkie De Jong from Barcelona, former Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur man Chrisitan Eriksen, and recently Ajax’s key defender, Martinez.
The Argentine has also been heavily linked with a move to their Premier League rivals Arsenal, and it looks like, according to Jacobs, that Manchester United could lose out on the deal as they are not as close to the player as Arsenal and could struggle to find the funds for the plater amid other rumours.
He said on the Done Deal show, “With Lisandro Martinez, Manchester United are not anywhere near as advanced as Arsenal, not just because Arsenal are preparing a third bid and I do understand that to be true, but there’s actually no credible evidence from Manchester United sources that they are all in, in the race for Martinez.
“If they sign Malacia, I’m not sure that Martinez will be somebody, should De Jong come in, that they can either afford or, that they will try and hijack.”
TIF Thoughts on Jacob’s comments…
United need to make significant moves this summer after their disastrous 21/22 campaign where players like Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Harry Maguire struggled to find consistent form. For the latter, bringing in Martinez could be a great way to boost his form by bringing competition for his place.
However, Jacobs believes Arsenal are closer to the deal and considering their work this summer already, it is not surprising the £28.8m-rated defender would move to the London club instead. They have bought in Porto’s Fabio Vieira and Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus, whereas United have reportedly just bought in Feyenoord youngster Tyrell Malacia.
United should consider moving for the player more forcefully as he could certainly improve their defence after ranking in the 99th percentile for tackles, progressive passes and shot-creating actions compared to other centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues last season.
While they are still in the running for De Jong and Eriksen, neither will significantly improve their defence, which conceded the eighth-most goals last season with 57, which is a dire area to improve this summer.
Will United sign Martinez?Yes
No
|