Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 12:43 PM• Dominic Mostert • Last update: 12:55

The search for a new central defender has led Lazio to the Netherlands. According to Radio Sei Lisandro Martínez of Ajax and Ahmed Touba of RKC Waalwijk are in the interest of the current number seven of Serie A. The Argentinian and Belgian are seen as alternatives to Villarreal defender Pau Torres, who is coveted by several European superpowers.

The arrival of Torres will be a difficult task for Lazio. Not only does he have a contractual lump sum payment of 65 million euros, there is also interest from clubs such as Juventus, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United. Thus, the club from Rome is looking for cheaper alternatives. Radio Sei mentions Martínez, for whom Ajax is reportedly asking an amount of about 25 million euros. The basic customer in Erik ten Hag’s team has a contract until mid-2023, which can be extended by Ajax for another year.

Touba would therefore be by far the cheapest option for sports director Igli Tare. The Italian radio station thinks that the mandekker can be collected for five million euros from RKC Waalwijk, although that amount seems on the high side. Hans Kraay junior recently stated that he expected that one and a half million euros is enough to separate Touba from Waalwijk. Kraay junior was the first to report interest from AZ and Ajax in the revelation of RKC last month. He also has a contract with his club until the summer of 2023.

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Touba is working on a strong season in the service of RKC, the club that took him over from Club Brugge last summer for an unknown but reportedly low amount. In North Brabant, Touba quickly convinced his trainer Fred Grim of his qualities. He played directly in the base and has since become one of the supporting forces of the current number fifteen of the Eredivisie. If RKC manages to hold its own, it will not want to let him go without a fight, although it seems unthinkable that the club will not cooperate with a transfer if he gets the chance to take a big step.