Arsenal are believed to have tabled a second offer for Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez worth around £34m but reports in the Dutch media suggest that the Eredivisie champions are still holding out for around €50m (£43m) to sell the defender.
Supporters on Twitter have been discussing whether the Gunners should agree to pay the asking price. Some claim that the player is worth the full amount, while others feel that the club should stick to their guns or move on to other targets:
Absolutely worth it .. we need this character and mentality in our team
— Husam (@Husam_Hamdi) June 27, 2022
Sign ZINCHENKO instead pic.twitter.com/GwG6VwNFTe
— 🔴George Gunner✸ 🔴 (@georgeborowskie) June 27, 2022
I think the price is reasonable and should sign him asap.
— Ramon (@8agg1o) June 27, 2022
Not sure that they will accept that bid since Man Utd is also in the race to sign him. I’m sure they will try to wait and see what Utd will offer
— Afolabi (@___Olamide) June 27, 2022
£35M is fine.
— Mr Jakes (@adegajay) June 28, 2022
Is he really worth 43 mill though ?
— Huan Lee (@huan_lee2) June 28, 2022
They'll accept the 35 million pounds I'm sure
— LEKE (@Leke_17) June 27, 2022
Not sure on this one. A centre back under 5ft10 in the premier league could struggle.
— AllThingsArsenal (@AllthingsARSNL) June 28, 2022
Pay them and stop the penny pinching
— Troy Mitchell (@TroyMit45166206) June 28, 2022
It should be pointed out that Manchester United are also interested in Martinez, which does complicate matters somewhat. If there was no competition for the Argentinian international then Arsenal would probably be able to stand firm with their current offer.
However, with the situation being as it is, there is always the danger that United could swoop in and match the price tag. We shall have to wait and see how these negotiations progress.