On February 17th, FcInterNews reported Manchester City are ‘serious’ about Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martínez and are ready to offer him a five-year deal.
The Argentine is on the front page of today’s edition of Sport and it’s stated that Barcelona advance to sign the striker. However, they face danger from the Premier League winners.
Within the report, it’s explained Barcelona’s operation to sign the 22-year-old is progressing at a steady pace and there’s optimism at the Camp Nou about his transfer.
Any approach from the Catalan club for Martínez will see them face ‘great danger’ from Pep Guardiola’s side.
Despite this, there’s confidence about his arrival at Barcelona as Martínez has been one of the major targets for next season. The Spanish champions’ sporting leaders have been in constant touch with the player’s environment for the past few months.
It’s claimed Martínez’s word will be key for any transfer. Real Madrid tempted him, but he prefers to join Barca, if he decides to move to Spain.
Of course, this is according to a Catalan newspaper.
The ‘main problem’ faced by Barcelona is from the Premier League. Martínez’s environment has already listened to Manchester City and Chelsea and one of the two clubs has presented a ‘totally off-market offer’.
The Premier League is not a priority for Martínez, but the situation can change anytime. Inter will respect his decision if he wants to leave, but they will not lower the asking price. 
Martínez has a release clause of €111m, which is valid in the first 15 days of July. The report adds that could be the reference figure throughout the summer.
It remains to be seen if Manchester City could convince Martínez to snub Chelsea and Barcelona to join them.
