Mike Verweij of De Telegraaf initially broke the news on Monday that Arsenal had submitted a second bid of €40m for Lisandro Martinez, including bonuses.
Though he added that Ajax want €50m, it seems the Eredivisie side haven’t rejected Arsenal’s new offer out of hand like they did with the first offer of €30m.
There’s a sense that Arsenal’s latest bid may be causing the Ajax hierarchy some doubt, and the Gunners reportedly believe the bid will at least make a transfer negotiable.
From England, the Daily Mail, the Mirror, and Goal all then confirmed the new offer, though they reported a slightly different valuation.
Whilst De Telegraaf claims it’s a €40m (£34.5m) bid including bonuses, Goal and the Mirror write that it’s a £35m bid plus bonuses.
That’s not a huge difference, but add-ons of a few million could go some way to bridging the gap to Ajax’s £43m valuation.
Goal report that Arsenal are still awaiting a response from Ajax, who are mulling the proposition over.
The player himself is understood to be keen on a move and awaiting news of his club’s response.
That will help Arsenal’s case, as Ajax won’t want to anger their player by being unreasonable with regards to a potential sale.
Martinez will understand the club holding out for a good deal, but not to the extent that they’re pricing him out of a transfer.
Manchester United remain in the race for Martinez, though they appear to be focusing on Frenkie de Jong and fellow Ajax star Antony right now.
