Are Arsenal closing in on their top defensive target? | OneFootball

Are Arsenal close to landing the Ajax man

It was recently reported that that Arsenal have placed a second bid for Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez, which is worth up to £35m.

It is £10m more than their previous bid but still falls short of the Dutch giants valuation of the player, believed to be around £45m.

However, since launching the offer on Monday, there have not been a single report stating that the Gunners offer has been rejected.

Which is why it begs to ask the question: Are Arsenal close to landing their top defensive target for this summer?

The 24-year-old is keen on a move to the Premier League with fellow English outfit Manchester United also monitoring his situation.

With the Gunners in the chase for Leeds United’s Raphinha, one can only think that they might now well be the favourites to sign Martinez too.

Why would a club wait so long to end up turning down the bid? If Ajax are seriously considering the £35m bid, which has the potential to rise upto £40m, you might think if the current deal is rejected, a compromise at £40m guaranteed fee might be reached with few nominal bonuses.

Personally, even though he is seen as a good option at left-back, I think the club will be looking at him as a competition for Gabriel Magalhaes and not Kieran Tierney.

Even though the Argentinean might provide a decent back-up in the short-term to the Scotsman for next season if Nuno Tavares is loaned out, I think the Portuguese has higher potential to operate on the wing in the long-term.

I would like to see the Ajax man as a center back due to his tackling and intercepting abilities. Despite his height, he’s also not a liability when it comes to aerial prowess, as many fans think.

He’s a man of many talents and I think stumping up some extra cash won’t do much damage to the North London outfit.

Yash Bisht

The Just Arsenal Show – Matt Turner’s profile and his value to Arsenal