{"id":1089934,"date":"2019-05-20T19:58:32","date_gmt":"2019-05-20T18:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1089934"},"modified":"2021-09-14T16:34:26","modified_gmt":"2021-09-14T15:34:26","slug":"ajax-lisandro-martinez-transfer-de-ligt-barca","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/ajax-lisandro-martinez-transfer-de-ligt-barca\/","title":{"rendered":"Ajax confirm signing of second centre-back as De Ligt’s Barcelona move heats up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ajax have completed the signing of\u00a0Defensa y Justicia defender\u00a0Lisandro Martinez on a four-year deal.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Martinez has penned a contract with the Amsterdam club that will keep him at the Johan Cruijff Arena until June 2023, becoming Erik ten Hag’s fourth summer signing already.<\/p>\n

Who is\u00a0Martinez? Five key things to know…<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Age:<\/strong> 21<\/li>\n
  2. Position:\u00a0<\/strong>Centre-back<\/li>\n
  3. Career path so far: <\/strong>Newell’s Old Boys (2017-2018),\u00a0Defensa y Justicia (2018-2019)<\/li>\n
  4. Key stat: <\/strong>Martinez has scored two goals and registered three assists in 25\u00a0Primera Division appearances from defence this season.<\/li>\n
  5. Did you know?\u00a0<\/strong>Martinez is capable of playing at left-back and is already capped at senior international level for Argentina.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7259525-if-guardiola-s-to-be-believed-liverpool-lost-the-league-with-one-result<\/p>\n

    The Champions League semi-finalists have already bolstered their ranks with the acquisitions of\u00a0goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen<\/a>,\u00a0Dutch defender\u00a0Kik Pierie<\/a>\u00a0and Romania international\u00a0Razvan Marin.<\/p>\n

    Martinez becomes the second centre-back to relocate to Ajax already this summer, casting immediate doubts about the future of club captain\u00a0Matthijs de Ligt, who has been linked with a move to Barcelona.<\/p>\n

    The Argentine defender underwent a medical examination on Monday and will officially join up with his new teammates on July 1.<\/p>\n

    Director of football Marc Overmars spoke of his delight in securing the services of a ball-playing defender, believing the 21-year-old possesses all the attributes of an Ajax player.<\/p>\n

    He told the club’s official website<\/a>: “Martinez is a left-legged player who can handle multiple positions in the back. He is a defender who wants to play football ahead.<\/p>\n

    “He brings along a certain mentality that we can use well here, comparable to what his fellow countryman Nico Tagliafico shows here. And Lisandro is still young, so we expect that he will continue to develop into an even better player in the coming years.”<\/p>\n