Legendary Inter striker Alessandro Altobelli has revealed the conditions which he would allow Lautaro Martinez to leave the club if he were Inter.
The 22-year-old Argentine national team striker has been heavily linked with a move to Spanish powerhouses Barcelona for a number of months now and reports have also linked him with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea.
“Lautaro is a boy who has shown all his qualities and can still improve yet. Inter should try to keep him at all costs, even if it does not seem the easiest thing to do as a club could pay his release clause and go above Inter,” Altobelli explained in an interview with Italian news outlet CalcioMercato.it.
“I would say that it mostly depends on the player himself. I have always read that he feels good in Milan and that Inter is a great team who have made him grow and become a world class striker. I hope he does not change his mind and he will stay at Inter because he still has time to go to another club later on.”
Altobelli, who spent 11 years on Inter’s books between 1977 and 1988, then spoke on Barcelona’s interest in the former Racing Club player.
“It seems logical to me that Inter will not accept any players from Barcelona. If they really want Lautaro they should pay his release clause. If I were to swap Lautaro for a Barcelona player though, I would only do so if it were for Lionel Messi.”
Altobelli proceeded to discuss the current situation of former Inter captain Mauro Icardi, who is currently out on loan at reigning French champions Paris Saint Germain.
“It is a somewhat complicated situation. He is a great striker and he has shown it at Inter and now at PSG. He is a born goalscorer. If I were PSG I would certainly sign him permanently.
“If he were to return to Inter and Juventus were to come in for him, I would ask the Bianconeri for a player of the same quality in exchange, certainly not Bernardeschi, who is only a reserve for them. For Icardi I would only take Dybala from Juventus.”
In conclusion Altobelli spoke on former Italian national team manager Antonio Conte’s first year in charge of Inter and the progress that the Nerazzurri have made and what is required to compete at the top.
“In his first year in charge of Inter, the club has change a lot and there have been several important moves made. Up until the match against Juventus, they were still close to the top of the table and I would say that it has been a positive season for Inter so far.
“In order for Inter to shorten the gap with Juventus, Inter need to make some signings and I believe that in the future Conte can build a team capable of fighting on equal terms with Juventus.”
