Manchester United in pole position to sign Ajax star

Erik ten Hag will know that this Manchester United side needs a lot of work and improvements, if they are to challenge for silverware next season, having not won a single trophy in five seasons now. One area that the Dutch manager is believed to have his eyes on is centre-back and it is not hard to understand why.

Defence has been believed to be a weakness for Manchester United for a long time. There were hopes that Raphael Varane would be the man to solve their issues at the back but that did not turn out to be the case. The French World Cup winner struggled with both form and fitness in his first season at Old Trafford.

On the other hand, Harry Maguire is coming off of a very poor campaign, while the likes of Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe have been linked with moves away from Old Trafford. Thus, the club could very well do with a new centre-back and one player that they have been linked with Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez.

It goes without saying that Ten Hag will know the Argentine international well from their time together at Ajax, and it appears that Manchester United have been handed a boost in their chase for the defender.

Manchester United are in pole position to sign Ajax star

As reported by the Mirror, Manchester United have stepped up their bid to land Martinez after meeting with the Dutch club’s new director of football. The Red Devils believe they are now in pole position to land him ahead of Arsenal.

For quite a while, it had looked like Arsenal were the most probable destination for Martinez, but now, it appears that Manchester United have moved ahead of the Gunners.

Of course, the Ten Hag connection could help the Red Devils in getting any deal over the line, as well as the fact that they have offered the better package till now.