A report from today’s paper edition of the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo has highlighted how Barcelona have been following Inter striker Lautaro Martinez since 2016, even noticing then that he was similar to Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez.
The report details how the Catalan club have identified the 22-year-old Argentine striker as their main objective of the upcoming summer transfer window. The player will be the long-term replacement for the aging Luis Suarez. In 2016, Barcelona scouts noticed him at International Under-20 Football Tournament, or COTIF. They described him then as follows: “very intuitive and with great determination. Muscular and technical at the same time. Similar to Suarez.”
Barcelona, the report continues, continued to follow Lautaro even after he became a regular first team player for Racing. In March 2018 the belief that Lautaro could fit in well at the club was growing and the expected cost of €7-10 million didn’t seem like a heavy investment. However, Inter’s €25 million offer arrived, a fee considered exorbitant by the Catalan club. Last summer Barcelona also considered Lautaro, but Mauro Icardi’s departure to Paris Saint Germain made the 22-year-old indispensable.
