Lisandro Martinez to Join Manchester United, Full Agreement Reached

Manchester United have reached an agreement of €55 with Ajax for defender Lisandro Martinez, as per Fabrizio Romano; Martinez will sign a five-year deal that will see him playing at Old Trafford until 2027.

United representatives were in Amsterdam on Wednesday, July 13 to discuss the fee and terms for the player, with personal terms already “100% agreed”, and concluded on the day with the transfer expected “imminently”.

The Argentine was also approached by Mikel Arteta for a move to the London side, however, the proposal of working with his former Ajax coach, Erik ten Hag, while at United was the defining factor in the player choosing Old Trafford over the Emirates.

Martinez did not take part in Ajax training on Thursday, July 14, according to Dutch reporter Mike Verweij, in order to not risk injury ahead of his move to Manchester and any medical tests he would need to undertake.

Lisandro Martinez Offers Manchester United Versatility

The 24-year-old brings experience and versatility to the squad and Ten Hag is already well familiar with how to utilise the player’s best abilities. Martinez can play as a defensive midfielder, full-back and a centre-back, with the latter being his most used position.

However, United will be expected to line up with a partnership of Harry Maguire and either Raphael Varane or Victor Lindelof in central defence and with Martinez providing less aerial threat than the other defenders, given his height of 5”10, Ten Hag may deploy the player in front of the backline.

Achieving success at both club and intentional level, Martinez is used to fighting for silverware, having just finished this season as an Eredivisie champion and UEFA Cup of Champions winner with Argentina.

He was also awarded Ajax’s Player of the Year (Rinus Michels Award) for his contributions throughout the 2021/2022 campaign. He likewise boasts being a Copa America winner in 2021 and has won both the KNVB Cup and Johan Cruyff Shield in his time at Ajax – as well as another Eredivisie title in 2021.

What Will He Bring to Old Trafford?

Martinez is regularly the starting point of attacks for his club, being able to build up play from the back and feed through dangerous passes into the final third. He is comfortable on the ball and at maintaining possession – a characteristic that Ten Hag will be implementing to his squad from the get-go.

At 24, Martinez is already regarded as one of the most versatile and successful defensive figures across Europe, and he has enough time left in his career to continue developing, improving and adding to his impressive list of honours. He has the potential to be one of the main men in this Ten Hag revolution forming in Manchester.

Manchester United’s Signings So Far:

Elsewhere in the transfer window for Manchester United, they announced the signing of Dutch left-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord on July 5, with the youngster making his debut in the team’s preseason game against rivals Liverpool – in which they thrashed Jurgen Klopp’s side 4-0. The 22-year-old was Ten Hag’s first signing at the club.

Fans are awaiting further updates regarding Christian Eriksen, who was reported to have verbally agreed to a three-year deal with the Red Devils, pending a successful medical test and contract completion.

Fabrizio Romano issued a report on the ongoing Frenkie de Jong transfer saga, confirming that United and Barcelona had reached a full agreement for the player on a deal worth around €85million, including add-ons.

The remaining issue to resolve in the deal is personal terms with the 25-year-old, whose priority is to stay at Barca. His team’s refusal to accept a salary reduction from the club may lead to the player having no choice but to depart, with Manchester being the leading destination.