Man Utd reach decision on January deal for €57m star

Manchester United are reportedly ready to sanction the sales of several players during the upcoming January transfer window, with Lisandro Martinez regarded as a leading candidate to leave the club.

The Argentine defender has been heavily linked with an Old Trafford exit in recent weeks, following his criticism of the club’s hierarchy after their loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, and it’s understood that he has several suitors across Europe.

Martinez has been an integral player for Man Utd since his €57 million arrival from Ajax, however he is out of contract next summer, and while the Red Devils have the option to extend his deal by a further 12 months, it now seems highly likely that he will depart the club in 2027.

Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are keeping close tabs on his situation ahead of a possible approach, with Man Utd now ready to sanction a sale in January if a suitable offer is received.

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, who claim that Martinez has made it clear to the Man Utd board that he wants to leave the club next year.

It’s understood that a mid-season deal could be finalised, with Man Utd having lined up a host of possible replacements, including Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Nathan Collins (Brentford) and Calvin Bassey (Fulham).

Man Utd are unlikely to sell Martinez in January unless a replacement is lined up, although new boss Mauricio Pochettino has been urged to demand at least two new defenders by club legend Gary Neville.

“He’s got to insist that he gets two defenders in January,” Neville told The Overlap before confirmation of Pochettino’s appointment.

“He’s got to insist that he gets a minimum budget next summer for the transfer window to be able to turn this around.”

Neville continued: “He’s got to insist that he gets a budget the following season. “He’s got to literally insist. They have to give it to him, otherwise he shouldn’t take the job.

“With that defence - and that midfield by the way, that midfield’s had some money spent on it - he’s got to insist on the way in that there’s some form of transfer control, that there’s some form of budget there that he knows he can meaningfully change the team.

“I don’t think Mauricio is the type of manager either that would say ‘give me half a billion’. I don’t think he is that type of guy. I think he’s someone a bit more responsible and will look at things, and he’ll want to bring players through, and he’ll want to develop young players.

“I just think he needs to protect himself in the next 12 months with the transfer budget.

“The only time you can insist upon it is at the very beginning. They need two defenders in January - because if they have [Patrick] Dorgu at left-back, [Noussair] Mazaroui at right-back, and [Ayden] Heaven and [Leny] Yoro at centre-back, he will need to do a hell of a lot of coaching to get them up the league.”

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