Barcelona have reportedly upped the ante in their pursuit of AFC Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez as they look to bolster their backline this summer.
According to SPORT, Barcelona are ready to step up their efforts to sign AFC Ajax and Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez in the summer transfer window. The Catalans director, Mateu Alemany, is set to fly out to Amsterdam to begin negotiations for the 24-year-old.
Martinez signed for Ajax from Argentine club Defensa y Justicia in 2019 and has grown into a key player for the Dutch heavyweights. A left-footed centre-back, Martinez can also play as a left-back and a defensive midfielder and has added a lot of value to Erik ten Hag’s side with his versatility and maturity at the back.
A full international for Argentina, Martinez has been on the radars of Barcelona for a while now. The Blaugrana are going through a rebuild under Xavi Hernandez and are staring at a pivotal summer transfer window which will define their path.
Defence is an area which is in need of strengthening as Gerard Pique enters the final phase of his career while Samuel and Clement Lenglet are set to be offloaded in the summer. Furthermore, Eric Garcia has shown that he still has some way to go to establish himself as a top-quality, reliable defender.
So, even though Barcelona have a deal in place to sign Andreas Christensen from Chelsea, another centre-half is needed. And Martinez has seemingly emerged as a target for Barcelona. His being left-footed is an appealing factor as the Blaugrana would lack a left-sided centre-half once Umtiti and Lenglet leave.
In addition to that, Martinez’s versatility also makes him an option to provide cover for Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets at left-back and defensive midfield, respectively. So, Barcelona are ready to ramp up their efforts to get the Argentine international onboard before next season.
To that end, Mateu Alemany is planning to fly out to Amsterdam to initiate negotiations with Ajax and find out their position with regard to the future of Martinez. The 24-year-old has a contract that runs until 2025, which puts the Dutch outfit in a strong negotiating position. They could end up demanding a significant fee, which ultimately could see the defender slip out of Barcelona’s grasp.
So, it remains to be seen whether there is any progress made on this front in the coming weeks or if Barcelona decide to focus their efforts elsewhere, with Jules Kounde also under consideration.