Inter Milan have slapped a price tag worth €80 million on 23-year-old Argentine international Lautaro Martinez, a target for Barcelona and Arsenal.
According to the print edition of Corriere dello Sport, as relayed by Calciomercato, Barcelona and Arsenal now know how much they will have to stump up to secure the services of Lautaro Martinez in the summer transfer window. Inter Milan are demanding €80 million for the 23-year-old Argentine international.
Lautaro Martinez has made massive strides since joining Inter Milan from Racing Club in the summer of 2018. Over the last three years, the young forward has come leaps and bounds, with his partnership with Romelu Lukaku in the last couple of seasons proving to be a revelation for the Nerazzurri.
To date, the 23-year-old has made 132 appearances for Inter while managing a tally of 49 goals and 20 assists in the process. This summer, he was also a part of the victorious Argentine national side at Copa America, with his stock only rising further. At club level, Martinez is being heavily linked with Barcelona and Arsenal.
Barcelona hold a long-standing interest in Martinez, having attempted to land him last summer as well before they were forced to cede their pursuit of the Argentine international. This summer, the Blaugrana have already bolstered their attack by signing Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero.
However, Aguero will only be a short-term solution, meaning a move for Martinez would make sense for Barcelona, who will have a successor for the Argentine veteran already at Camp Nou. As for Arsenal, their interest in Martinez is only recent.
There have even been suggestions that the Gunners might have an ace up their sleeves by offering Hector Bellerin as part of the deal, seeing as the former Barcelona defender is the subject of interest from Inter Milan. The eagerness to sign Martinez makes sense as well, seeing as Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah could leave Arsenal this summer.
Of late, there have also been claims that Tottenham have joined the race to sign the 23-year-old, but as per Corriere dello Sport (h/t Calciomercato), it looks like Arsenal and Barcelona are currently in the running for Martinez, who is valued at around €80 million by Inter Milan.
What now remains to be seen is if either of Arsenal and Barcelona are willing to fork out the required €80 million to land Martinez. The financial woes at each club do make things complicated, although it will be interesting to see if either club can afford him.
