MANCHESTER UNITED have announced the £55million signing of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax.
The Red Devils have beaten off interest from Prem rivals Arsenal to secure the centre-back's signature.
Martinez, 24, played under boss Erik ten Hag for three years in Amsterdam and will now link up with him again at Old Trafford.
Arsenal made an initial bid of around £34m, before United came in with an improved offer just shy of £40m.
Eventually the Red Devils were able to settle upon paying an initial £46.8m fee, which is set to rise to £55m with add-ons.
The deal is still subject to medical, personal terms and UK visa requirements - although it's understood Martinez will pen a deal worth £120,000 a week at Old Trafford.
Martinez jetted into Manchester to complete his medical on Friday.
He posted a picture onboard a private jet heading for Manchester alongside his agent Christian Bragarnik after being spotted by fans at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.
The 5ft 9in ace is known as a ball-playing defender and is set to play an integral part in Ten Hag's Man United revolution.
As it stands, he will be the shortest centre-back in the Premier League.
United legend Rio Ferdinand is excited about the signing.
He said on his Vibe with Five show: "The more I've looked into him and the vibes and the stories I'm hearing and the mutterings from different people – it gets better.
"I listened to an interview with Jurrien Timber, the young player that United were looking to sign, the centre back Martinez played alongside at Ajax.
"He was saying, 'When I'm not on my game and a bit out of concentration, Martinez always shouts at me, he always swears at me in in his language and gets me going.'
Source Kekeligh News
