Will the deal go through in January?

Manchester United are enduring a disastrous season, sitting 17th in the Premier League after claiming just one win and four draws in nine rounds.

That crisis opens the door for another club to benefit. Barcelona have seen their path smoothed to sign a Manchester United player in the upcoming winter transfer window.

According to "Mundo Deportivo", Barcelona have not ruled out signing a centre-back during the upcoming winter transfer window.

A string of injuries in defence has reopened the search for a centre-back in January. If the choice were purely technical, the preferred option would be Croatia's Josko Gvardiol (24) of Manchester City, with Italy's Alessandro Bastoni (26) of Inter Milan another name under consideration. But deals for both players look difficult.

For Lisandro Martinez, the 28-year-old Argentine international at Manchester United, the situation looks extremely bad. Every indicator points to his departure during the winter window.

Once praised for his excellent control of the ball, Lisandro is now facing scathing criticism in England.

His sending-off against Chelsea proved the straw that broke the camel's back for analysts and observers. A bizarre error against Wesley Fofana at a corner left United down to ten men and conceding a penalty.

His contract expires at the end of the current season, which only fuels speculation about an imminent exit. In England and in the Netherlands, the league where Lisandro made his name with Ajax, pundits have spoken in recent hours of a fate that now looks all but sealed.

The worst player in the Premier League

The Guardian did not hesitate to tear into Lisandro's current level, branding him "the worst player in the Premier League".

The paper added: "His attempt to play the strongman caused his sending-off with a red card after a penalty was awarded against him, from which Cole Palmer scored the winning goal. This symbolises Manchester United's decline under the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe."

It went on: "Martinez has frequently criticised his superiors harshly lately, but this is a player who should have been sold long ago."

The Athletic were equally damning: "Lisandro Martinez is the worst player in the Premier League this season. He is the person most responsible for the points Manchester United have lost in just three matches. His decline in level is a baffling mystery. This situation cannot continue. Manchester United cannot rely on a player who continually causes points to be lost with errors he seems not to care about."

The Telegraph described how "it was no surprise that coach Michael Carrick did not even look at him when he left the pitch. He protected Martinez to the point that many coaches would have left him out, simply by fielding him despite his scathing criticism of the club's management."

The same report added: "Martinez is an artificial provocateur: strong in front of the microphone, weak on the pitch."

Manchester Evening News offered a similar assessment: "Before that, his passing was a strength of his; he combined well with the midfield to move the ball forward. But this foul, which led to his sending-off and conceding a penalty, was ridiculous. United had no chance after that."

Lisandro has played 10 matches this season for a total of 763 minutes, meaning Carrick has not forgotten him.

His decline hardly sets the Argentine apart from the many other players signed with great enthusiasm at Old Trafford. Lisandro arrived from Ajax for 67 million euros in the summer of 2022.

Catalan newspaper "Sport" confirmed that Barcelona are searching for a centre-back, with Lisandro representing an available opportunity on the market and Deco, the sporting director, closely following developments. Plenty of options exist, but none of them is within reach financially.