De Telegraaf are reporting they’ve found out from sources close to Arsenal that the Gunners have increased their offer for Lisandro Martinez.
Having originally placed a bid worth around €25m for the defender, something which it’s stated happened a few weeks ago, the London club have returned with €40m.
According to the report from the Dutch newspaper, Manchester United are also keen, but the assumption is they want to complete the signing of Frenkie de Jong before moving to secure other transfer targets.
Ajax would rather not sell the player, yet there’s a pretty big hint they will do so anyway if a big enough offer arrives. De Telegraaf say the asking price for Martinez is €50m, and that if a club were to ‘come close’ then it may not be financially responsible to turn that offer down.
They’re balancing the sporting project for the coming season, with new manager Alfred Schreuder, against their long term economic plan, and that’s why they simply can’t put not-for-sale signs up and stick to that stance.
What Ajax feel is close enough to €50m may become clear in the coming weeks.
