Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing AFC Ajax’s 23-year-old Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez in the summer transfer window.
According to a report from TransferMarketWeb.com, La Liga heavyweights FC Barcelona have set their sights of AFC Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez and could launch a move for the Argentine in the summer.
Martinez, 23, has been with Ajax since 2019, having joined from Argentine club Defensa. Since then, the centre-back has gradually grown into a mainstay at the back for the Dutch giants, racking up 72 appearances in which he has scored four goals and set up one for his teammate as well.
Primarily a centre-back, Martinez, during his career so far, has also been used as a defensive midfielder and a left-back as well. A left-footed centre-back with good ball-playing abilities and versatility, the one-time capped Argentine international has now popped up on the radars of Barcelona.
Barcelona will need to invest in a new centre-back in the summer, despite the impending arrival of Eric Garcia on a free transfer when his contract with Manchester City runs out. Clement Lenglet hasn’t been reliable enough this season while Samuel Umtiti continues to be bogged down by his knee injury.
The Catalans have run out of patience with the latter and are looking to offload him in the summer transfer window. So, another senior centre-back would become a necessary addition to support the youngsters in Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza as Gerard Pique also enters the final phase of his illustrious career.
To that end, Barcelona had been recently linked with a move for AC Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli. Now, the Catalans also have Ajax’s Martinez on their radars as they assess their options ahead of what promises to be a crucial transfer window for the club.
Martinez is contracted with Ajax till the summer of 2023 with the club also retaining the option of extending it by another year. However, the report adds that the 23-year-old could be available for a transfer fee of around €25 million in the summer, which shouldn’t prove to be too hard for Barcelona if they cash in on some of the fringe players.
It now remains to be seen if Ronald Koeman & co. launch a move to land the 23-year-old Argentine, who is also being tracked by Serie A clubs AS Roma and Lazio.