Lisandro Martinez’s Manchester United future has been cast into doubt by reports in Spain this week, with Atletico Madrid said to be keen on signing him.
This summer, Lisandro Martinez has been with Argentina at the World Cup, and while he has had a few bad moments, on the whole, the Manchester United defender has been very impressive.
Now, ahead of Martinez’s semi-final against England, Spanish outlet El Chiringuito TV reporter Inaki Villalon De Linos has claimed that he could be a target for Atletico Madrid this summer.
According to the tweet, Martinez has already been offered to Atletico this summer in what could be a cut-price deal with the Argentine’s contract set to expire in 2027.
Interestingly, Atletico boss Diego Simeone will already have been watching Martinez ahead of this rumoured interest.
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Diego Simeone has been watching Lisandro Martinez for Argentina
Martinez is a player who really embodies Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side, and it has long been known that he’d be a brilliant signing for them.
Now, he has been linked, and Simeone will have seen enough of him this summer to pass judgment.
Being Argentinian, Simeone has been at the World Cup this summer, spotted in the stands watching the games with his shirt on, and this will have seen him get a good look at Martinez.
Simeone will have loved Martinez’s performances both on and off the ball, with his passing creating chances for Lionel Messi, while he has also had some brilliant moments defensively.
Martinez embodies the Argentine mentality of being aggressive on the pitch, which happens to be what Simeone wants from his team.
As a coach, Simeone is as pragmatic as they come, often labelled as a manager of the ‘dark arts’ in football, which could allow Martinez to be his best, crunching into tackles while also adding another dimension to the La Liga side.
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Manchester United should be open to Lisandro Martinez sale
Atletico being interested in Martinez should be music to United’s ears this summer.
While Martinez is world-class on his day, the truth about the player is that he is completely unreliable with his fitness at the age of 28, and he hasn’t been a player that United can trust to play every week.
This, combined with his contract expiring in 12 months, means that United should be realistically looking to move on from the 5ft 9in centre-back. United won’t be extending his contract because of how his injury record has been over the past few years.
So this summer is the best chance United have of recouping some of his fee. £20-25m would be hard to refuse, as it allows a younger or experienced defender without the fitness doubts to be brought in, while it also allows Ayden Heaven to become a starter.
United should be looking to sell if Atletico are keen.
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