The Red Devils have reached an agreement for the transfer of Argentina international Lisandro Martinez from AFC Ajax – an official statement on Sunday night confirmed. The central defender will become the club’s third signing of the season in the coming days.
Martinez was also a top transfer target for Arsenal, but the Red Devils’ bid, along with his familiarity with manager Erik ten Hag, came out on top eventually. Meanwhile, the English giants also confirmed that the player is yet to undergo his medical and receive his formal clearances before an official announcement can be made.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce the club has reached agreement with Ajax for the transfer of Argentine international defender Lisandro Martinez, subject to medical, to player terms being finalised, and to UK visa requirements,”
read the statement on the Man Utd website.
Furthermore, Ajax, through a release of their own, confirmed the finer details of the deal. The Dutch champions revealed that United will pay them a transfer fee of 57.37 million euros, which can go as high as 67.37 million after add-ons. Once the formalities are complete, Martinez is expected to join the Red Devils on a five-year deal, which will run until the end of the 2026/27 season, with the option to extend it by 12 more months.
Martinez joined Ajax from Defensa y Justicia in the summer of 2019. The Argentine centre-back quickly established himself as a starter under ten Hag, playing 41 games in his first season in Europe. He would add 79 appearances to his Ajax tally across the two subsequent campaigns.
During his time in the Netherlands, the 24-year-old won the league title twice – and was only stopped short of making it a treble due to the Covid-19 outbreak – and was named the club’s player of the Year for 2021/22.
He becomes Manchester United’s third signing of the summer, following Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen.
