Man Utd Agree Deal With Ajax To Make Lisandro Martinez Joint-7th Most Expensive Defender Ever

Manchester United have agreed a £57m transfer fee with Ajax that is set to make Lisandro Martinez the joint-7th most expensive defender ever.

Manchester United announced on Sunday that a deal had been agreed with Ajax for the transfer of Argentina international Lisandro Martinez.

A short statement published on manutd.com explained that Martinez would be formally confirmed as a United player once he had passed a medical, finalized personal terms and been granted a UK work visa.

But the main hurdle had been cleared when Ajax accepted United's offer for the 24-year-old center-back.

That offer is set to result in United paying Ajax £57 million including add-ons, according to BBC Sport.

Such a figure would make Martinez the joint-seventh most expensive defender in soccer history.

Manchester United are set to pay Ajax £57m for Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez :: IMAGO/Alterphotos

United already had the world's most expensive defender after paying Leicester City a record-breaking £80m fee for Harry Maguire in 2019.

The only other defenders to command transfer fees in excess of £57m to date have been Virgil van Dijk, Lucas Hernandez, Matthijs de Ligt, Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo.

Most Expensive Defenders In Soccer History

Player	Transfer fee	To	From	Year
1. Harry Maguire	£80m	Man Utd	Leicester	2019
2. Virgil van Dijk	£75m	Liverpool	Southampton	2018
3. Lucas Hernandez	£68m	Bayern Munich	Atletico Madrid	2019
4. Matthijs de Ligt	£67.5m	Juventus	Ajax	2019
5. Ruben Dias	£61.64m	Man City	Benfica	2020
6. Joao Cancelo	£60m	Man City	Juventus	2019
=7. Aymeric Laporte	£57m	Man City	Athletic Bilbao	2018
=7. Lisandro Martinez	£57m	Man Utd	Ajax	2022