Manchester United to sign £42m Martínez and work on De Jong deal

United stay bust as Chelsea decide against signing Cristiano Ronaldo after talks with representatives

Wanted man: Ajax's Lisandro Martinez may be a Manchester United player by week's end. Pic: PA Wire

Manchester United are hopeful of completing the signing of the Ajax centre-back Lisandro Martínez this week after “successful” talks with the Dutch club in Amsterdam on Wednesday.

The two clubs were locked in negotiations for several hours before reaching an agreement in principle for the 24-year-old centre-back, who is an Argentina international. Discussions will continue on Thursday, with the structure of the payment one issue to still iron out.