Deal Agreed & Signed – ‘Generous’ Man Utd ‘beating’ Arsenal in defender bid as they eye £51.3m Ronaldo replacement

According to rumors, Lisandro Martinez is pressing Ajax to authorize his sale because Manchester United has offered more than Arsenal for the defender.

The Argentina international has been the subject of heavy speculation in recent months, with both Manchester United and Arsenal keen to bring him to the Premier League ahead of next season.

Martinez was one of Ajax’s top players last season as they won the Eredivisie, scoring once and assisting three times in 24 league appearances.

Martinez is said to favor a move to Manchester United over a move to Arsenal, despite having played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax for the last three seasons.

According to the Dutch tabloid De Telegraaf (via Sport Witness), both Manchester United and Arsenal have made “generous bids” for Martinez, with Ajax seeking roughly €50 million for one of their greatest assets.

Man United is willing to pay €45 million, ‘beating’ Arsenal’s maximum offer of €40 million, according to Sport Witness.

Ten Hag has only signed Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord this summer, as the Red Devils look to improve on their sixth-place result from last season.

Cristiano Ronaldo may potentially provide an issue for Ten Hag as he pushes for a transfer away from the club, with rumors stating that he has asked to be allowed to depart this summer.

If the Portugal international leaves this summer, Manchester United will be left without a recognized center-forward, with Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford being utilised in wide roles.

The Red Devils have been linked with a move for Robert Lewandowski while they look for a long-term replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Manchester Evening News now claims that Man United may struggle to find a “big-name replacement” for Ronaldo this summer, with the club looking to solve a number of important issues in the transfer market.

Man United may now source a season-long stop-gap signing’ before leaping for RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku next summer.

The France international was expected to leave this summer after scoring 31 goals and providing 20 assists in all competitions, but he instead signed a new contract with Leipzig until 2026.

However, there are rumors that the new contract has a €60 million (£51.3 million) release clause that will become active in the summer of 2023, and he may be the ideal long-term successor for Ronaldo.