Barcelona reportedly face growing competition in their pursuit of Lautaro Martinez’s signature, but they could have a crucial advantage for the Inter forward.
The 22-year-old’s stock has certainly risen this season as he has been a key figure for Antonio Conte’s side, scoring 16 goals and providing four assists in 31 outings.
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Coupled with nine goals in 17 caps for Argentina, the future is certainly looking promising for him for both club and country.
Speculation has been rife over his future though, and Mundo Deportivo note, via ESPN, how Barcelona face increasing competition to sign him as Paris Saint-Germain could now be targeting Martinez with the likes of Real Madrid and Man Utd previously linked, while it’s suggested that other clubs are said to be tracking the Argentine international too with his €111m release clause coming into effect this summer.
It’s added that Barcelona fear that they could be pushed out of the picture as they may not be able to compete financially as they are keen to secure a swap deal agreement which has fruitless thus far, although it’s noted that they could hold a major advantage still as Martinez is said to prefer a move to the Nou Camp.
That would of course allow him to play alongside Lionel Messi for club and country, and while that is a huge boost in itself if he will give preference to them if an offer is made, that offer firstly needs to be deemed sufficient by Inter to allow the possibility of a move to the reigning La Liga champions to develop.
With Luis Suarez turning 34 next year and considering Ousmane Dembele’s ongoing injury troubles, the attack is surely a priority for Barcelona moving forward as they need to address their lack of quality depth and long-term planning.
Martinez arguably ticks all the right boxes in that sense, but if PSG are also set to rival them for his signature, time will tell if they can agree on terms with Inter to allow the player to get his preferred move this summer.