Fresh reports claim the Red Devils have agreements in place to sign Lisandro Martinez and Frenkie de Jong from AFC Ajax and FC Barcelona, respectively. The club has signed only Tyrell Malacia so far this summer.
Both the players are former colleagues of the new Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag. Martinez and De Jong could become the club’s second and third signings of the season. Only left-back Tyrell Malacia has joined the club, so far, in a 15 million pound deal from Feyenoord.
As per The Athletic, United have an agreement in place with Ajax for Martinez, believed to be in the region of 50 million euros. The Argentina defender – who can also play as a left-back and in central midfield – was also of interest to Arsenal, who had an approach knocked back by the Amsterdam club earlier this summer as it fell short of their valuation. Furthermore, the 24-year-old himself gave preference to a move to Old Trafford due to the prospect of a reunion with his former coach.
With a deal in place, Manchester United will move forward with medical tests for Martinez, with personal terms not likely to be an issue. He will leave the Netherlands with 120 appearances, six goals, and two league titles in his collection.
The Athletic also claims that United have also reached an agreement with Barcelona for the transfer of de Jong for a fixed fee of 75 million euros – plus a further 10 million in add-ons. However, the Red Devils are yet to convince the midfielder of a transfer to Old Trafford this summer, the situation complicated further by the 17 million Barcelona owe the player in deferred wages.
Regardless, the Spanish giants are pushing the Dutchman towards United. The club is under a huge financial strain – which has led to complications in registering new signings Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, and Raphinha – some of which could be eased by a big sale.
