Arsenal have made a third bid for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez as they look to avoid losing out on a second transfer to a Premier League rival this summer.

The Gunners thought that they had a deal for Leeds United winger Raphinha sewn up, only for Chelsea to swoop in at the eleventh hour and outbid their London rivals, with the Brazilian now expected to make the switch to west, rather than north, London in the coming days.

And the bad news could yet get worse for Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar, with Manchester United now thought to be keen on rivalling them for Argentine defender Martinez, who Arsenal are currently pushing to sign this summer.

English media report that the Red Devils could move on to Martinez following the signings of Dutch duo Frenkie de Jong and Tyrell Malacia.

According to the Times, 'Manchester United look set to complete the signing of Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord and will then turn their attention to the Ajax defender Lisandro Martínez'.

'United have asked Ajax to keep them updated as to the situation with Martínez as they discuss how much to offer for the left-footed defender', they add.

Arsenal table third bid

It is perhaps for this reason that, as per Argentine sources, Arsenal have upped their bid to include 40m euros as a guaranteed fee plus a further 5m euros in potential bonuses, a proposal which Ajax are yet to respond to.

On the player's side, while he is happy at Ajax, Martinez is keen to move to the Premier League should it become a possibility.


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