Barcelona manager Quique Setien has refused to get too carried away by the prospect of managing Inter striker Lautaro Martinez in the coming months.
The Argentine national team striker has been heavily linked with a move to Setien’s side for a number of months now and it is understood that he is one of, if not their top transfer target ahead of the upcoming transfer window.
Inter, as per various reports, are reluctant to let the highly rated 22-year-old forward go but could find themselves left powerless if his €111 million release clause is triggered during the first two weeks in July when it is active.
Reports elsewhere in the media have meanwhile suggested that Barcelona do not want to pay his release clause and would rather do a player(s) plus cash deal for him with there having been no shortage of suggestions when it comes to players who could potentially be included in such a deal.
“I am not pessimistic or optimistic about Lautaro. He is a player that I like as I like great footballers, but I have no illusions,” Setien explained in an interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero.