Manchester City have entered the race to sign Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez, with Pep Guardiola identifying the player as Sergio Aguero’s long-term successor.
This is according to Tuttosport, as reported by Sport, who also cite Barcelona as being interested in the 22-year-old.
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It isn’t surprising to see such alleged interest in Martinez, who has scored sixteen goals this season. Five of these came in the Champions League, with the Argentinian showcasing that he is more than capable of delivering on the big stage.
The above report states that Pep Guardiola is hopeful in getting the deal over the line, as he sees the forward as the perfect successor to Aguero. City’s talisman turns thirty-two in June, so the club are clearly keen to get a contingency plan in place.
It won’t be an easy task though, as Tuttosport claim that it is Martinez’s dream to play alongside Lionel Messi. This is obviously a tricky piece of criteria to compete with, but that isn’t to say that the hopes of the deal are dead.
Inter Milan will no doubt demand a fair price for one of their star players, meaning it could well come down to the highest bidder.
Whichever forward City do chose to bring in will obviously have big shoes to fill. Since arriving back in 2011, Aguero has been a prominent goalscorer in the Premier League, becoming the club’s highest scorer of all time along the way. No pressure.