Journalist Charles Watts has claimed that a source close to Arsenal target Lisandro Martinez has refuted a recent report.
It is no secret that Manchester United are currently rivalling the Gunners in an attempt to try and sign the centre-back from Ajax this summer.
And according to a recent report from Argentinian journalist Gaston Edul (via Utd District), the player has opted to join the Red Devils.
However, in response to this claim, Watts has revealed that this may not actually be the case just yet, with a source who is ‘very close to the player’ saying Martinez hasn’t had to make a choice yet as neither club have had a bid accepted by Ajax at this point in time.
The journalist said on YouTube: “There were reports yesterday [Thursday] I saw from Argentina that he had chosen United.
“But when I spoke to someone who’s very close to the player about that, they said it’s not the case because there’s been nothing to accept; there’s been no decision to make because at that point – and still, I believe, because I’m not sure United’s bid has been accepted yet – but neither club had a bid accepted.
“So he hasn’t had to decide between one of the two clubs because there’s been nothing to decide at this stage. So we’ll have to wait and see how it progresses.”
Will Arsenal land Lisandro Martinez this summer?
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TIF Thoughts on Lisandro Martinez and Arsenal…
As things stand, the power does seem to remain in the hands of Ajax, as they await to receive an offer good enough to tempt them into selling their key defender.
But with that being the case, as Watts and his source made clear, Martinez can’t have made a decision yet. By the sounds of it, he is open to joining either Arsenal or United, so it probably will depend simply on who can offer his current outfit the most money.
It seems as though the whole situation is turning into a bit of a saga, which will suit Ajax as they look to squeeze every penny out of a potential sale.
Arsenal, however, may be concerned about the price, which could cause them to make no further bid for the defender – and thus Martinez’s decision would have been made up for him.
For now, though, nothing seems to have been decided just yet.