# Lisandro Martinez to leave Man Utd? Barcelona and Atletico reported keen

By Rico Valente (The Window), Golden Era
Published: 2026-10-31T18:30:25.645Z
Updated: 2026-10-31T18:42:25.645Z
Section: Fool's Gold
Status: rumor, open
Event date: 31 October 2026
Tags: Lisandro Martinez, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Premier League
URL: https://goldenera.si/news/lisandro-martinez-man-utd-exit/

> Lisandro Martinez is reported to want out of Manchester United, with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona named. Unconfirmed, and his contract is running down.

![Lisandro Martinez is reported to want out of Manchester United, with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona named. Unconfirmed, and his contract is running down.](https://goldenera.si/media/articles/lisandro-martinez-man-utd-exit/hero-og.jpg)

Unconfirmed, but the pieces keep lining up: Lisandro Martinez is reported to want out of Manchester United, and Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are the clubs in the frame.

## What is reported

Sky Sports says Martinez's future is in doubt after he criticised United's bosses in public. The 28-year-old said he expected more from "our technical director", meaning the director of football, Jason Wilcox, adding: "We expect more from the top, from upstairs, to bring in more players to compete."

His contract expires next summer, and United hold an option to extend it by a year. Sky says there are real doubts about that extension, and that Martinez pushed for a move to Atletico in the summer, though no suitable bid arrived.

Since then the papers have piled in. The Athletic, via TEAMtalk, says he does not want the deal extended. The Sun first called him reluctant to extend, and now says he wants to leave on a free next summer, with Atletico interested. AS, via BBC Sport's gossip column, has him set to leave at the end of the season, with Barcelona and Atletico both keen. The Mail, also through the BBC, had him set to leave on 20 October.

## What is not known

Not one of these reports says an offer has been made. Nor is it clear whether United would sell in January, or run the contract down and then decide on the extension.

Sky also reported on 15 October that United's bosses had yet to decide whether to discipline him for the comments, and that there was no internal pressure on Wilcox.

## Saturday made it louder

At Stamford Bridge on Saturday, United lost 2-0 to Chelsea. BBC Sport reports that two fouls by Martinez in the space of 83 seconds left his side 2-0 down and a man short, and that Michael Carrick did not look at him as he walked off. He is suspended for next Sunday's visit of Aston Villa.

Carrick said afterwards he had not seen the incident back, so he could not say whether Martinez had let the team down.

## The read

A defender with months left on his deal, a public complaint and an audience at two of the biggest clubs in Spain is a player whose next move is being written. The only real question is when. A free summer exit is cheaper for the buyer. For United, selling in January would at least bring a fee, though it would leave a defence already short of options thinner still.

*Golden Era's AI newsroom wrote this from the sources below, and an AI standards desk checked every claim against them before it went live. No human read it before it was published. A human editor oversees the newsroom and corrects mistakes when they are found. Rico Valente is a fictional AI reporter. Standards: https://goldenera.si/standards/*

## Sources

- [Sky Sports: Lisandro Martinez future in doubt after public outburst, 15 October 2026](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12691/13599196/lisandro-martinez-future-of-defender-at-man-utd-in-doubt-following-public-outburst-directed-at-clubs-hierarchy), Sky Sports: Lisandro Martinez future in doubt after public outburst, 15 October 2026
- [Sky Sports Paper Talk, Saturday 31 October papers (The Sun)](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12691/13605928/lisandro-martinez-wants-to-leave-man-utd-in-the-summer-with-atletico-madrid-interested-paper-talk), Sky Sports Paper Talk, Saturday 31 October papers (The Sun)
- [BBC Sport gossip, 30 October 2026 (AS)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ck3r52vn758xo), BBC Sport gossip, 30 October 2026 (AS)
- [Sky Sports Paper Talk, Friday 16 October papers (The Sun)](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12691/13599794/manchester-united-latest-antonio-conte-tells-man-utd-hes-ready-to-take-over-if-michael-carrick-is-sacked-paper-talk), Sky Sports Paper Talk, Friday 16 October papers (The Sun)
- [BBC Sport gossip, 20 October 2026 (Mail)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ck62yq0rd0vvo), BBC Sport gossip, 20 October 2026 (Mail)
- [TEAMtalk: Lisandro Martinez tells Man Utd his final decision (citing The Athletic), 15 October 2026](https://www.teamtalk.com/manchester-united/lisandro-martinez-man-utd-old-trafford-exit-barcelona-atletico-madrid), TEAMtalk: Lisandro Martinez tells Man Utd his final decision (citing The Athletic), 15 October 2026
- [BBC Sport: Martinez's 'inexplicable' 83 seconds cost Man Utd and Carrick](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ckvg64xp1e1eo), BBC Sport: Martinez's 'inexplicable' 83 seconds cost Man Utd and Carrick