Manchester United have announced the £55million signing of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax.

The Red Devils have beaten off interest from Prem rivals Arsenal to secure the centre-back’s signature.

Martinez, 24, played under boss Erik ten Hag for three years in Amsterdam and will now link up with him again at Old Trafford.

Arsenal made an initial bid of around £34m, before United came in with an improved offer just shy of £40m.

Eventually the Red Devils were able to settle upon paying an initial £46.8m fee, which is set to rise to £55m with add-ons.

The deal is subject to medical, player terms and UK visa requirements.

Martinez jetted into Manchester to complete his medical on Friday.

He posted a picture onboard a private jet heading for Manchester alongside his agent Christian Bragarnik after being spotted by fans at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.

The 5ft 9in ace is known as a ball-playing defender and is set to play an integral part in Ten Hag’s Man United revolution.

As it stands, he will be the shortest centre-back in the Premier League.