Manchester United could ‘cash-in’ on centre-back Lisandro Martinez in January amid interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid, according to reports..
The Argentinian international is a fan favourite at Old Trafford, but INEOS are ‘willing to sell him,’ just two-and-a-half seasons after his £57million move from Ajax.
Martinez, 26, was signed by former Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag and is considered one of the Dutchman’s better additions, although he spent the majority of last season out injured.
According to talkSPORT, Man Utd ‘could be tempted’ to sell Martinez in a shock move next month if Real Madrid step up their interest in the World Cup winner.
Martinez is one of a number of Premier League stars being tracked by Carlo Ancelotti’s side, along with top summer target and Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The report claims Martinez ‘is not seen as off-limits’ for any potential buyer by INEOS, who are looking to generate funds to back new manager Ruben Amorim in the January window.
The Red Devils’ chiefs are keen to keep youngsters such as Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo but ‘ are open to offers for virtually every other player to help stay on the right side of PSR rules.’
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Real Madrid plot double Man Utd raid
As we reported on Saturday, Real Madrid are keeping close tabs on Martinez’s situation as they look to bring in long-term replacements for aging centre-back duo David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger.
Eder Militao is also sidelined with a long-term injury, prompting Ancelotti and Co to priortise defensive reinforcements in the January window.
Martinez is not the only Man Utd player courted by Real, as it’s believed they’re willing to pay £45million for Diogo Dalot. It’s not clear, so far, what sort of bid they’d lodge for Martinez. It’s likely that the Red Devils would want to at least recoup what they spent on him.
TalkSPORT’s report adds that Marcus Rashford is another player who could potentially depart Old Trafford, amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain.
It’s claimed that ‘it’s unlikely a deal of that magnitude can be done in January, the Red Devils are willing to consider selling their £300,000-a-week academy poster boy after several months of poor performances and concerns over his off-field lifestyle.’
Man Utd round-up: Alphonso Davies latest / Gyokeres drops hint
Meanwhile, reports suggest that Man Utd still stand a chance of signing Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies despite him being in talks over a contract extension with the Bundesliga giants.
Davies is considered a top target for Amorim’s side as they look to bring in more cover for injury-plagued duo Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw.
According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, Davies is still ‘hesitating’ to pen fresh terms with Bayern, meaning as things stand, he’ll be able to open pre-contract talks with Man Utd in January.
Plettenberg wrote onX: “FC Bayern is putting pressure on Alphonso Davies (24) to sign a new contract before Christmas the club would like a decision before Davies has the opportunity to meet with Manchester United and Real Madrid in January. Davies’ side is still hesitating and is considering continuing negotiations in the new year.”
Previously, Plettenberg had described Davies as a ‘dream target’ for United, posting last month: “#Davies #MUFC … One of Manchester United’s dream targets for summer as revealed.”
In other news, Sporting CP goal machine Viktor Gyokeres has fueled rumours of a reunion with former boss Amorim at Old Trafford.
In a recent interview, Gyokeres named two former Red Devils’ stars as his sporting idols when he was a youngster.
“The players I looked up to were Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s about how they performed on the pitch, they went the extra mile, which impressed me. I wanted to do similar things on the pitch,” Gyokeres said.
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