After shortlisting Diogo Dalot to bolster their depletedbackline, Real Madrid have again ‘set sights’ on a potential Manchester United swoop.
The reigning European champions have reportedly begun plotting a move for Lisandro Martinez, according to transfer specialist Graeme Bailey. For the United faithful, the prospect of losing Martinez would’ve once been unthinkable – but it may have grown more fathomable over the last year and a half.
While it’s been tricky for any player to flourish substantially amidst such torrid times, the Argentine hasn’t covered himself in glory on more than one occasion. Take the weekend’s defeat to Nottingham Forest, for example, when the visitors claimed their first win at Old Trafford in 30 years.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side took the lead inside two minutes of kick-off through a corner after 5’9” Martinez was comfortably beaten in the air by the towering, 6’5” Nikola Milenkovic, making it three successive goals that the Reds had conceded through set-pieces.
Martinez’s availability has been far from ideal
Lisandro Martinez vies with his opponent.
(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Even when in fine form, Martinez’s injury history has left a lot to be desired since his maiden campaign was cut short with a metatarsal fracture. The issue, sustained in April 2023, ruled him out of the rest of the season before being re-aggravated at the beginning of 2023/2024, forcing him to undergo further surgery in hopes of correcting the problem once and for all.
The centre-half proceeded to be sidelined from mid-September to January. He played three Premier League matches before suffering a calf strain – causing him to miss another month’s worth of action – then returned to feature for 21 minutes against Brentford and was consequently unavailable from April to the middle of May. Martinez made only eight league starts in total across the term.
Whether or not Madrid will materialise their interest with a formal approach or offer in 2025 remains to be seen, though United are of the stance – currently – that Martinez, hailed as ‘the best player in the world in his position’ by journalist Juan Manuel Rossi, is off-limits.
More Stories / Latest News
Spurs’ Son Heung-min celebrates.
Jonathan David of Lille is out of contract in 2025.
Ruben Amorim hasn’t utilised Christian Eriksen since his first game.