Martinez, a defender for Ajax, worked with the new manager of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag, throughout the previous season; Arsenal was also interested in signing Martinez, but he decided to move to Old Trafford instead.
Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez is expected to sign a five-year contract with Manchester United after the two clubs reached an agreement on a transfer that could be worth up to £57 million.
United will pay a guaranteed €57 million (£48.5 million) for the Argentina international defender. In addition, the two clubs have reached an agreement for United to pay an extra €10 million (£8.5 million) in add-ons. Martinez will reunite with Erik Ten Hag, his former manager at Ajax and the man responsible for signing him to the club in 2019, when he arrives at Old Trafford as a result of the move.
Before he puts pen to paper on a five-year contract in Manchester, which has the option of an additional 12 months, which would carry him past his 30th birthday, the deal is still subject to both medical and visa formalities; its conclusion is expected in the coming days.
Martinez uploaded a picture to his Instagram account on Friday evening showing him and his agent sitting in the passenger seats of a plane with the message “going to Manchester.”
Arsenal, who had also expressed interest in the Argentine international player, were ultimately unsuccessful in their pursuit of him, however. Martinez has decided to move to Old Trafford despite the fact that he was interested in playing for the Gunners because of their playing style and the possibility of playing for Mikel Arteta.
As is customary for international transfers, around €2 million (£1.7 million) of Martinez’s transfer price will be divided between his former teams, Newell’s Old Boys and Defensa y Justicia, both of which are located in Argentina. These payments are considered to be solidarity payments.
“United are going to have quite a proactive approach under Ten Hag, build play from the back, and he wants to have a defender who is going to be an indirect threat at set pieces, confident and authoritative in the area.” v “Under Ten Hag, United are going to have quite a proactive approach, build play from the back.”
“He is fairly familiar with Martinez, and he believes that he is the right person for the job. When the team presses forward, he is a defender who is comfortable defending in large open spaces.
“He is going to be OK covering ground on his own, but he also has the ability to bring the ball out and form elements of attacks, which is exactly what Ten Hag wants.” He is of the opinion that this is money that United will put to good use.”
Martinez’s ability to play through opposing lines is highlighted by these statistics; yet, he is also effective at switching the play and picking out teammates across greater distances. During the previous season at Ajax, no player had a higher average number of successful long passes per ninety minutes played.