Arsenal Place Third Martinez Bid As Rivals Circle

Arsenal have reportedly placed a third bid for Ajax centre-back Lisandro Martinez according to Sam Dean of The Telegraph.

Dean's report claims the bid is worth an initial £35m, rising to £40m with add-ons.

Arsenal hope to get this deal done quickly as Manchester United are considering a bid themselves, with Erik Ten Hag eager to recruit his former player.

Arsenal's first bid was believed to be worth around £26m and was rejected by Ajax.

It is unclear what Arsenal's second bid is believed to be worth but the Gunners sent their third offer before Ajax had replied.

With the obvious link between Ten Hag and Martinez, it is understandable that Arsenal want to conclude this deal swiftly.

The Argentine is very versatile and could cover multiple positions for Mikel Arteta's squad.

Left centre-back, left-back and defensive-midfield are all positions in which Martinez has experience in and could play.

With Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney especially prone to injuries, it is imperative Arsenal find a solution this Summer.

The defender was ever-present in Ajax's title-winning season, winning their player of the year award.

He is seen as a rather unorthodox centre-back, standing at just five foot nine inches.

However, what he lacks in height, he makes up for in his reading of the game and his tenacity.

Martinez can often be seen flying into challenges to win the ball and using his strength to shrug off attackers.

So much so, he is known as 'the butcher' by Ajax fans.

Despite his height, he is great in the air. In fact, he is among the best headers of the ball in the Eredivise.

With the ball at his feet he is among the best in not just the Eredivise, but all of Europe.

He made 13.4 passes into the final third per 90 in the league last season, a number only bested by Trent Alexander Arnold and Daley Blind for defenders.

If Arsenal can get this deal done, they will be adding a tremendous amount of depth and quality to their back-line.

Arsenal and Arteta will be hoping their third bid will be enough to tempt Ajax into selling the defender.

On Tuesday they were dealt a transfer blow, when Chelsea agreed a fee to take Arsenal target, Raphinha, to Stamford Bridge.

However, the Gunners are expected to announce the signing of Gabriel Jesus later this week.