Exclusive: Arsenal submit official offers for defender transfer while Man Utd are “busy” with other deals

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Arsenal have submitted official offers for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez, and currently seem to be further ahead with their interest than Manchester United.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano in the latest edition of his upcoming CaughtOffside column, with the Italian transfer news expert providing a fresh update on the Martinez saga amid plenty of speculation about both Arsenal and Man Utd.

For now, the Red Devils’ focus is elsewhere, whereas Arsenal have made official offers for the Argentina international, who is greatly admired by manager Mikel Arteta.

It sounds encouraging for the Gunners, though Romano insists there is also still a chance that Martinez would be open to moving to Old Trafford as well.

Lisandro Martinez in action for Ajax

“These are two negotiations at different stages. Arsenal have already submitted official offers up to €40m plus add-ons for Martinez, while Manchester United are busy with Tyrell Malacia and Frenkie de Jong but have had contact with Lisandro’s agents,” Romano explains.

“The player is so far open to negotiate with both clubs. Arsenal are insisting a lot this week because Arteta is understood to be a big fan of Lisandro, considered a versatile player with top team skills.”

Manchester United surely need to step up their Lisandro Martinez transfer efforts

On the face of it, it’s surely United who need this signing more than Arsenal, so it’s surprising that they seem to be allowing the Gunners to move ahead of them.

Martinez looks a superb talent after impressing in the Eredivisie, and a move to follow Erik ten Hag to Manchester could be ideal to help him settle into life in the Premier League.

One imagines he’d also walk straight into the MUFC starting line up after the poor form of players like Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, while even Raphael Varane was unconvincing and struggled to stay fit for a lot of last season.

At Arsenal, Martinez would be up against Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba for a place in central defence, so it’s hard to see how he’d get regular playing time.

It would certainly give AFC tremendous depth at the back if they got this done, but it would be poor from United to miss out on this opportunity and instead allow one of their main top four rivals to strengthen their defensive options so significantly.

More Stories Erik ten Hag Fabrizio Romano Frenkie de Jong Lisandro Martinez Mikel Arteta Tyrell Malacia