Arsenal are in the market for a new defender this summer.
The Gunners have already signed several players, including midfielder Fabio Vieira from Porto.
Also on the verge of announcing Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, as well in talks to bring in Leeds United’s Raphinha, the other end of the pitch is also a top priority for Edu and manager Mikel Arteta.
Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez is a player the Gunners are closest to reaching an agreement for. Although there is still some work to be done, Arsenal, who have recently offered their Dutch rivals €40m (The Athletic), have clearly put themselves ahead of Manchester United in the race to land the highly-rated Argentina international.
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Martinez, 24, is viewed as a very versatile defensive addition and is a player who can play in a variety of positions, including left full-back, and it is for this very reason that Arteta is keen to add the 24-year-old to his squad in time for next season.
As we exclusively reported at the start of the month, the Gunners have been offered PSV’s Cody Gakpo. Although unlikely to pursue a move, during initial discussions, intermediaries were asked how the player would feel about transitioning to a left-sided full-back. The same conversation was held with Chelsea, who are actively trying to find a new club for Spanish full-back Marcos Alonso.
Senior sources inside Arsenal have confirmed to CaughtOffside that Arsenal, in particular, are desperate to bring in a new full-back to provide cover for Scotland international Kieran Tierney.
This is also why #AFC are going all out for Ajax’s Martinez.
There are major concerns about Tierney’s injury record. No plans to sell but club believe they need another in to cover.#AFC have wanted new left-sided full-back since last year ?#CFC also working to sell Alonso. https://t.co/2Na5fzTgJS
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) June 28, 2022
Although the 25-year-old is viewed as an important player at the Emirates, his injury record has raised a lot of eyebrows behind the scenes.
One source suggested that stand-in full-back Nuno Tavares failed to impress during his opening campaign and without a backup plan in place for Tierney next season, the club runs the risk of being defensively weak – something they’re keen to avoid due to the importance of finishing next season inside the Premier League’s top-four.
Since joining from Celtic in 2019, Tierney has missed nearly 50 games, in all competitions, through injury.
Nuno Tavares is a very good player. Nobody should contemplate selling him. U do not want another Gnabry on ur hand. Let him develop and play him up more. Reduce his defence responsibilities. Let him be more of a box to box midfeilder. He will develop into a fantastic player. He has wonderful skills and is fast. He should be liberated from overpassing the balls and be taught more how not to loose his balls. He needs more confidence. Let him be a regular in the under23s.
is gabriel jesus already arrived in the club,,?