Real Madrid are reportedly ready to rival Chelsea for the potential transfer of Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez after his fine form this season.
The young Argentine has really caught the eye with 24 goals in all competitions for club and country, and it would not be at all surprising if one of Europe’s elite tried to snap him up in the near future.
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The Evening Standard recently cited reports in Italy linking Martinez as a target for Chelsea, and now TyC Sports claim Real Madrid are also seriously interested in signing him and willing to pay his €120million release clause.
The Spanish giants could certainly do with more firepower up front as they continue to look less of a force in that department following the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in 2018.
Eden Hazard is yet to really settle at the Bernabeu, while Karim Benzema cannot go on forever, and Martinez looks a player who could do a job for this Madrid side for many years to come.
Chelsea are also short of depth up front, however, having relied heavily on inexperienced young front-man Tammy Abraham this season, with manager Frank Lampard seemingly not trusting his backup options Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi.
It will be interesting to see how the Martinez saga develops and who he’d prefer to join if it came down to a choice between Chelsea and Real.