It appears Inter Milan are planning ahead of the exit of Lautaro Martinez after the Argentine striker reportedly agreed on terms with Barcelona.
According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Martinez has agreed a worth €12m per year plus performance-related bonuses, on a five year deal with Barcelona. Still, Inter wants €111m for his release, as stated in his release clause.
If the deal goes through, Inter will make almost five times of the €25m paid to bring the 22-year-old striker from Racing Club Avellaneda in the summer of 2018.
Since he linked up with the Nerazzurri, the Argentine forward has found the back of the net 16 times with four assists in 31 competitive games this season. Martinez, who is also a regular starter for Argentina, has scored nine goals in 17 appearances.
With reliance on the release clause, Inter is reportedly refusing to negotiate a deal for Martinez. Sports also reported that the term is only valid for a few weeks and must be paid in one sum. If Barca decided to go on with the deal, this will would stretch their current budget.
However, close sources said that if Lautaro Martinez failed to secure a move to Barcelona, he would be happy to remain with Inter.
There has also been interests from Premier League sides, Manchester United and Chelsea for his service.
Meanwhile, Inter is keen on having Leipzig’s striker, Timo Werner, should Martinez secure a move to the La Liga giant side.
If Inter wants to push further for more titles, they will have to trigger Werner’s €60m release clause as Liverpool and Juventus are also interested in him.
With Mauro Icardi’s temporary deal made permanent by PSG, Inter will actually need to replace him.
With Icardi out of the way, it is expected that Beppe Marotta and his company will sign the 24-year-old goal poacher with 30 goals in 39 games for RB Leipzig this season.
Also, in a situation where Barcelona activates the €111m release clause for Martinez, Inter would be left with only one proven striker, Romelu Lukaku, who could be supported by a teenager Sebastiano Esposito.
Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed
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