Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, who scored a brace today to secure the three points against SPAL, is wanted by Barcelona, with his compatriot Lionel Messi hoping he will join the club, according to a report from today’s paper edition of the Turin based newspaper Tuttosport.
The report details how the Barcelona legend has formed a strong friendship with Lautaro whilst the pair were with the Argentinian national team. The Catalan club are incredibly keen to sign the 22-year-old striker in order to replace the aging Luis Suarez.
However, the Nerazzurri are keen to protect their forward. The €111 million release clause in his contract suddenly doesn’t seem enough to ward off interest, and so the club have been in discussions with Lautaro’s agent, Beto Yaque, to try and secure a new deal for the player.
The deal is expected to be completed in January, with Beppe Marotta hoping to remove the release clause and increase Lautaro’s wages up to €2.5 million per season.
Finally, Inter are hoping that they can convince Lautaro to reject any possible offers from interested clubs by showing him the growing project at the club.
The management are hoping his strong partnership with Romelu Lukaku, as well as the team’s incredible start to the season, will be enough to convince the 22-year-old striker that he is central to an important and growing project that is destined to win trophies.
