Barcelona’s interest in Lautaro Martínez has been widely discussed in the Spanish media, but they failed to find an agreement with Inter Milan for his transfer in the summer.
Last week, we carried a report from Sport, who explained the La Liga side still maintain an interest in the forward and they are now joined by Manchester City.
It was also suggested the 23-year-old could ‘decide to sign’ for the Citizens by snubbing interest from the Blaugrana.
City have Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Agüero as the two established strikers in their squad, and the former Atlético Madrid star is in his final year of contract at the Etihad.
According to FcInterNews, City, Barca and Real Madrid ‘remain vigilant’ of Martínez’s situation in Milan. It’s also claimed Pep Guardiola considers the Argentina international as a ‘perfect heir’ to Agüero at his club.
The Nerazzurri are aware of the interest drawn by their player and for this reason, they want to secure his long-term future. The attacker’s contract at the San Siro lasts until 2023 and he currently earns €2.2m [plus bonuses] per season.
Inter want to offer him a five-year deal worth €5m per year plus bonuses. The outlet states it’s an ‘important offer’ that comes close to the demands made by the South American’s entourage.
Having requested €7.5m per season pre Covid-19, Martínez’s camp lowered their demands to €6.5m plus bonuses in September.
FcInterNews states the forward is happy with his life, both on and off the pitch, in Milan. Martínez’s desire is to win with Inter and they ‘intend to lock him up’. Therefore, mid-December could be an ‘important time’ as both parties have agreed to meet to ‘discuss and analyse the contract issue’.
With Martínez and Inter wanting to further extended their relationship, Guardiola and City may have to look elsewhere to find a replacement for Agüero.
