Carlos Pablo, president of Liniers de Bahía Blanca, the club where Inter striker Lautaro Martinez started his career, spoke about the future of the player and a possible sale in an interview with Argentine radio broadcaster Radio del Plata earlier today.
“It may be crazy, but the idea of the money we will receive makes us tremble but not despair. We could do a lot of things with that money but it’s not an issue we talk about every day.
“We are very enthusiastic about what Lautaro Martínez is doing. It’s an unusual and extraordinary situation for us. My feeling is that the purchase from Barcelona is practically done, but I don’t think they will tell us anything for the moment.”
Pablo continued discussing the situation and how they will earn from the sale of the 22-year-old Argentine striker.
“Maybe they’ll wait until the season restarts. We retain 20% of the capital gain from Racing, which was agreed with Víctor Blanco when he was sold to Inter.
“In addition to the solidarity mechanism as well, which represents 1.59% of the gross value of the transfer. If Lautaro’s transfer takes place, it will be the most important in this market.
“Maybe the money won’t be much and there will be some difference in payment or something like that. I spoke with him ten days ago and never mentioned the subject, I really respect the player’s peace of mind. B
“ut the truth is that I have friends in Spain, and they told me that they don’t talk about anything else. If you think of the names that are close to Barcelona, what a great team they are building!”
Barcelona are looking to sign the 22-year-old Lautaro in the upcoming summer transfer window but cannot afford to pay his full €111 million release clause.
Instead, they are hoping to offer multiple players to Inter, as well as a cash lump sum, but a deal has still not been finalised, with both clubs taking their time to discuss which players should be included in the deal.
Lautaro 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, forming a formidable partnership with Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku.
