Racing President Victor Blanco discussed Inter striker Lautaro Martinez and his future in an interview in today’s paper edition of the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.
First, Blanco discussed his relationship with the 22-year-old Argentine striker.
“The story I told about Real Madrid sums it up. He left very early. We would have liked to have him for another season, but for us it was impossible because Inter and Atletico Madrid showed up with figures that were very high.”
He revealed that Lautaro’s mentality was not affected by the interest from Europe and he remained professional until the end.
“He behaved very well. He was always very calm about it. Lautaro never felt dizzy about those rumored millions. He had set goals. He could have left because the offers on the table were there, but he said, ‘I’ll stay until the end of the season.’ And so, it was.”
Blanco also revealed that Valencia had the opportunity to sign Lautaro but couldn’t afford him.
“Yes, Valencia had a priority for Lautaro and two other young players, but it wasn’t enough to make an offer. Atletico were more solid, but Inter were the club most interested in Lautaro and took him away.”
The Racing president detailed how Atletico tried to sign the 22-year-old Argentine striker and how they missed the opportunity to secure his signature for a low fee.
“No, I didn’t talk to Simeone. His sporting director came to Buenos Aires. We had three or four meetings, but they didn’t meet Racing’s demands. At that time, in the second half of 2017, the release clause was €9 million. They could have exercised it, but they didn’t.
“In addition to the management of executives, it must be recognized that sometimes the good will of the player is necessary. Not even that time was he clouded, he renewed, we were able to raise the release clause and in a short time he went to Inter.”
He revealed the total cost of the deal for Lautaro.
“The gross figure was close to €40 million. What happens is that with all the discounts, there was less money left at Racing. You have to take into account the taxes, the representative’s commission, the 20% that belonged to Liniers and the 10% that belonged to his family. We had so much confidence and cared so much about Lautaro that we preferred to give up €2 million at that time to maintain a 10% capital gain on €14 million euros.”
Finally, Blanco suggested that he was not shocked about the interest of the big European clubs in the Argentine striker.
“Of course not. Apart from his footballing qualities and the number of goals he has already scored, he is very young and is also a starter on the national team. He doesn’t feel the weight of any jersey. He’s succeeding at Inter and has everything it takes to do well at Barcelona and any other club in the world. I have no doubts.
“Everyone knows what he is as a player because he can be seen. But Lautaro has the plus of personality, he’s a born winner and an excellent professional. He’s a different player from the others, in every sense.”
Lautaro, who is contracted to the Nerazzurri until 2023, has made 31 appearances across all competitions so far this season, for a total of 2437 minutes. In that time, he has scored 16 goals and provided four assists.
