Arsenal ‘submit second bid for Lisandro Martinez’ as Gabriel Jesus offer rejected
Arsenal are in the market for a number of new signings this summer.
Arsenal are poised to announce the signing of Fabio Vieira after Porto confirmed they had accepted a bid of £34million from the Gunners for his services. And they could make a hat-trick of signings in short succession as they also look to also recruit Lisandro Martinez and Gabriel Jesus. Arsenal have had bids rejected for the pair.
Vieira will add to an already youthful front line with his skill and expertise, although more signings are expected at the Emirates. A defender, midfielder and another attacker are all wanted to join up with Mikel Arteta’s squad ahead of the new campaign.
And according to reports, Martinez and Jesus could be the next two to walk through the door, with bids being submitted for the duo prior to the weekend. The Daily Mail suggests that initial talks have taken place between Ajax and the Gunners for Martinez.
A £25m offer was submitted for the versatile Argentine, although that was rebuffed in the knowledge that other clubs are interested in his services and so the Dutch club can drive up his price. Barcelona are also said to hold an interest, and Ajax believe Martinez’s talents warrant a fee of around £30m.
With the ability to play at centre-back, left-back and in midfield, Arteta sees the star as a perfect utility player. He could offer competition for Gabriel, and also give Kieran Tierney a run for his money at left-back.
And their transfer business might not stop there, with Jesus also wanted. Goal suggest that a £30m bid for Jesus was rejected on Friday afternoon, with Manchester City keen to pick up a sizeable £50m fee for his services.
The report states that Arsenal are confident of striking a deal with the Premier League champions ahead of the new season, and are accelerating their attempts to agree a deal for the Brazilian.
Talks have been ongoing for months, and an agreement could soon be in place for the 25-year-old.
And with Eddie Nketiah set to sign a new contract, the club’s goalscoring problems will go a long way to being alleviated.
