Man Utd accelerate £140m double January deal after Lisandro Martinez quits

Manchester United are bringing forward their plans to overhaul the defence on the back of Lisandro Martinez’s actions meaning he’ll now leave the club sooner than anticipated. Martinez threw a theoretical grenade in Man Utd’s boardroom on Wednesday night when publicly denouncing the hierarchy, and director of football, Jason Wilcox, specifically.

The 28-year-old lambasted the club’s summer transfer window, effectively saying not enough new faces arrived, and those that did aren’t good enough for a Champions League team. Man Utd’s main focus in the summer just gone was overhauling the midfield. That resulted in the left-back and striker positions remaining unaddressed despite a clear need for fresh blood.

Owners INEOS always planned to revamp the rearguard in 2027 after overhauling the attack in 2025 and midfield in 2026. A new left-back arriving in January was always a possibility, with transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, recently declaring United plan to ‘attack’ the upcoming winter window if the right players are available, and if results haven’t improved.

But with Martinez now planning to leave in 2027 , per The Guardian , and The Athletic stating neither he nor Man Utd now want to activate the one-year option in his contract , an exit looks inevitable for the Argentine. If United are to collect a fee, they must sell in January. Accordingly, the latest from the Daily Mail states Man Utd are ramping up plans to sign a centre-back in the mid-season window.

Man Utd to bring defensive overhaul forward to January? The headline in their piece read: ‘Lisandro Martinez is one of the last to arrive at Man United training ahead of crunch talks with bosses after his explosive rant, while club renew pursuit of centre-back for January.’ The Mail went on to name Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite who Man Utd tabled two unsuccessful bids for in the summer of 2024.

Our colleagues over on TEAMtalk brought news in September of Man Utd re-establishing contact with the left-footer’s camp . Furthermore, the Mail named Bournemouth left-back, Adrien Truffert, as another who could sign on the dotted line at Old Trafford in January. The report stated: ‘One position where United have been keen to strengthen is at centre back, potentially even in January, but one must leave for that to happen.

‘Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite is admired, and while the club would rather not lose Martinez, his injury record and ability to attract a decent offer could make that option more acceptable following his comments. ‘United are also hoping to bring in a left-back after failing to do so in the summer when Lewis Hall signed a deal at Newcastle.

Bournemouth and France star Adrien Truffert is a name on their radar.’ TEAMtalk’s report on Branthwaite revealed Everton value England international Branthwaite at £80m. If moving for that sum, the 24-year-old would match Harry Maguire as the world’s most expensive defender. A recent update on Truffert – which verified Man Utd’s interest in the Frenchman – claimed his price tag as far as Bournemouth are concerned is £60m.