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Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has backed the Gunners to beat Manchester United to the signing of Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez.
The Red Devils are rumored to be preparing a £40 million bid for Martinez's signature as per talkSPORT (via Express). The 24-year-old is reportedly one of Erik ten Hag's priority transfers this summer.
Arsenal, on the other hand, had a bid close to around £25 million rejected by Ajax, according to football.london. However, they have now made an improved bid of around £34 million and Ajax are yet to respond to it.
Campbell believes Mikel Arteta's side still have a good chance of signing the Argentine centre-back. He told Football Insider:
“It sounds like the door has been opened. There is a seat at the table. They are open to discussing it. If Ajax weren’t interested in selling, they would have rejected this bid out of hand.”
The former striker added:
“I don’t believe personal terms will be an issue. It is just a matter of the clubs thrashing it out. It is nice to see Arsenal looking to open these doors. I like that Arsenal are acting early and are trying to get these deals done.”
Martinez's stock has risen since he gave commendable performances in Ajax's title-winning 2021-22 season. Off the 37 games he played across competitions, the Argentine helped Ajax keep clean sheets in 22 of them. He also contributed with five direct goal contributions.
Lisandro Martinez could become Arsenal's fourth signing of the summer
The Gunners have been among the most active teams in the ongoing transfer window and have already secured the signatures of three players.
Arteta's side agreed a deal with Major League Soccer outfit New England Revolution for the transfer of goalkeeper Matt Turner earlier this year. They added to that acquisition by bringing in Brazilian winger Marquinhos from Sao Paulo.
The Premier League giants also seem to have wrapped up the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. Jesus is expected to join on a deal worth around £45 million and has already completed his transfer as per Fabrizio Romano.
Martinez could become Arsenal's fourth signing of the summer if Ajax accept the latest bid tabled by them. The Argentine has been excellent for the Dutch side since arriving in 2019.
The 24-year-old has made 120 appearances for the Dutch side, scoring six goals and laying out six assists. Martinez has lifted two Eredivisie titles, the Dutch Cup once and the Dutch Super Cup once during his stint with the side.
He has also won seven caps for Argentina and was part of their victorious Copa America 2021 squad. He played the full 90 minutes in the 4-1 group-stage win over Bolivia.
