Lisandro Martinez price tag no problem for Arsenal with Edu ‘excited’ about potential transfers

Arsenal are having a serious attack on the transfer window this summer. Players in all four areas of the field have been targeted, with three already secured and more expected. Lisandro Martinez is the primary defensive target for the side, with the Ajax man able to play in as many as three different roles.

According to The Mirror, both Arsenal and Manchester United have met with the player’s representatives. The talks outlined the potential cost being far higher than the initial first bid that was rejected by Arsenal at around £25 million.

It will cost the clubs getting on for double this amount, at £42 million, to secure the Argentine for the team next season. A £17 million increase on what Arsenal were initially willing to pay is a serious step up for the club to reach.

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Especially when there has been big money spent on Fabio Vieira, and further funds expected to be outlaid on the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Raphinha. However, there is a determination about the Gunners this summer which means the increased asking price may not put them off.

The club’s technical director Edu spoke after the signing of Fabio Vieira to say he was ‘excited’ about the potential of starting the season with the player they’re targeting. It is clear that Arsenal are targeting Martinez, and hopefully, they can get it done.

Edu said: “We have to go into the market for exciting players with the right age, right attitude and right mentality. We want to see a club like Arsenal with a young squad, an exciting squad with a big, big future because as I said last summer, the idea is to have a young squad. We want to give them the opportunity to play together for two, three, four, five or six seasons. We still have a lot to do but we are really excited to start the season with the players we target and the players we want to sign.”

Having seriously stripped the wage bill of the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil, Sead Kolasinac and plenty of others in the past two years, the club are in a financially flexible position. The high fee for Martinez, despite their other targets, therefore, should be of little problem to the club if they are serious about pursuing the player. It is now about whether they deem him worth Ajax’s asking price.

Arsenal already appear to have beaten off competition from Chelsea, Tottenham and Juventus for Gabriel Jesus. Now it appears they face old rivals Manchester United for Martinez and have a chance to lay down another marker this summer.

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