Tottenham Hotspur are ready to rival Arsenal in the pursuit of Lautaro Martinez, as Inter Milan soften their stance.
According to an exclusive report from The Athletic, Inter Milan are considering a more open-minded approach to sanctioning their player sales. The earlier departure of Achraf Hakimi helped a great deal in injecting the finances, but the club is looking for ways to achieve a more sustainable model, and that could see them part ways with Lautaro Martinez.
It has put Arsenal on red alert, with Mikel Arteta determined to improve his ranks in the attacking department this summer. But they may face stiff competition from Tottenham Hotspur in pursuit of the Inter Milan forward, who is being viewed as the more replaceable one compared to his strike partner and Chelsea target Romelu Lukaku.
A product of the Racing Club academy in his native Argentina, Martinez has had a successful spell at Inter so far. Since joining the club in 2018, the forward has netted 49 goals while mustering 20 assists in just over 130 competitive appearances. His strike partnership alongside Lukaku was vital in helping the Nerazzurri seal the elusive Scudetto last season.
The 23-year-old was also Argentina’s first-choice centre-forward in the Copa America this summer, helping La Albiceleste end a 28-year trophy drought. His recent accolades haven’t gone unnoticed either, with Arsenal are weighing up an ambitious move for the Inter Milan forward this summer.
Despite failing to qualify for European football for the first time in 25 years, the Gunners are in with a chance of signing the forward, as their own star Hector Bellerin is reportedly courted by Inter Milan.
As such, the north London giants can utilise the deal to advance the talks regarding Martinez. Arteta should find no difficulties in making up space for the Argentine as the club has already put out Alexandre Lacazette on the market. Eddie Nketiah, too, is facing an uncertain future in London.
However, it remains to be seen whether Martinez himself is open to joining Arsenal, especially having enjoyed so much success at Inter Milan. And that is where Tottenham are hoping to hijack the deal.
Unlike their arch-rivals, the Lilywhites can offer European football for the Inter Milan forward. He may also find himself in a more favourable creative setup with Son Heung-Min, Tanguy Ndombele and fellow countryman Giovani Lo Celso more than capable of creating scoring opportunities for him, in the final third.
Their pursuit of Martinez, though, largely hinges on the future of Harry Kane. Although the Lilywhites have shown no intention to offload the Englishman, Manchester City’s reported bid of £160 million might be too good to refuse, with the attacker’s contract in north London expiring in 2024.
Get him fast! We need him like no other. Gunners for Life!
selling laca and bringing on martinez isnt the arsenal solution .
the club need a creative and scoring midfielder.