Barcelona are reportedly chasing Ajax's 23-year-old centre-back Lisandro Martinez, as they look to add to their defensive options in the summer transfer window.
According to a report from TransferMarketWeb, La Liga giants Barcelona have made Martinez one of their priorities for the summer, and could be set to launch a move for the Argentine.
The 23-year-old has been at Ajax since 2019, after he joined from Argentine club Defensa, and since then he has become one of Ajax's most important players, playing a total of 72 games.
Apart from playing at centre-back, Martinez is also well adept at playing as a defensive midfielder or as a left-back, and his versatility has been a big bonus for Ajax, and he could be a huge signing for Barcelona.
Being a left-footed centre-back that is very good on the ball is exactly what Barcelona want, and with them wanting to sign a new centre-back in the summer, they have also been monitoring Manchester City defender Eric Garcia, who they are set to sign on a free transfer once his contract at City runs out in the summer.
Their current options include Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti, with the former struggling for consistency, whilst the latter has struggled massively due to injury.
Barcelona are reportedly keen to sell Umtiti this summer to fund other moves this summer, and so signing a senior centre-back in the form of Martinez is crucial, as if Umtiti leaves, they will be left with Lenglet and Gerard Pique as the two senior centre-backs, with Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza coming up from the academy.
Ajax reportedly want around €25 million for Martinez, and given his great qualities on and off the ball, he could be an excellent signing for Barcelona, but they have to fight off competition from numerous Serie A clubs, particularly AS Roma and Lazio.
Martinez has played in 31 games in all competitions this season so far, and has scored an impressive two goals in the process, all whilst playing across the defence in a multitude of positions.
