Arsenal have made a second offer for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez and are awaiting a response from the Eredivisie champions, reports Goal’s Charles Watts. The Gunners want a deal to be done quickly as Premier League rivals Manchester United are also interested in the Argentine defender.
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Arsenal Awaiting Response Over Second Bid for Ajax Defender Lisandro Martinez
Mikel Arteta Craves for New Defensive Signing
Arsenal have made the Argentine international their priority defensive target for the upcoming campaign. They already had their first offer rejected for Martinez, but have made another bid of around £35 million. The initial bid was reportedly around £29 million. However, Ajax reportedly wants around £43 million for him.
The 24-year-old defender is admired by Arteta because of his versatility and quality which can be an ideal fit for his side. Martinez mainly operates as a centre-back, but can also play as a left-back or even a defensive midfielder if needed.
Read More: Arsenal Trying to Negotiate New Contract for William Saliba
The Argentine international is currently on holiday, but is keen on a move to the Premier League and hopes Ajax can reach an agreement with the Gunners for the summer move.
🚨 Ajax are currently mulling over Arsenal’s second bid for Lisandro Martinez, believed to be around £35m.
(Source: GOAL) pic.twitter.com/IboEBgDBXr
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) June 28, 2022
Arsenal’s Swift Summer Transfer Business Continues
The Gunners have been extremely quick in completing their transfer summer transfer windows and have been very proactive in the market so far. They have already signed Fabio Vieira from FC Porto and goalkeeper Matt Turner, while a deal to sign Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City is also imminent.
Arteta is being given a lot of support from his higher-ups and also wants to strengthen his backline with a new, modern-day defender that can suit his system well. Martinez is being keenly chased by Arsenal not just because of his sound defensive qualities, but because of his diverse passing ability and tendency to switch the play from defence to attack swiftly.
Read More: Every Premier League Transfer Completed in Summer 2022
However, there is still quite a long way to go for the Gunners to convince the reigning Eredivisie side to sell their defender to them. Arteta would ideally want to complete all his transfers before the start of his side’s pre-season campaign on July 8.
