Former Juventus manager Massimiliano “Max” Allegri has sang the praises of Inter striker Lautaro Martinez amid continued links to Barcelona.

The highly rated 22-year-old forward has been heavily linked with a potential switch to Barcelona for some time now and many reports have suggested that the Argentine national team forward has already agreed personal terms with the Blaugrana club, who have so far been unable to come close to Inter’s demands.

Lautaro has a €111 million release clause in his current contract with Inter, which is set to expire just shortly, but Barcelona seem intent on doing a player plus cash deal for him instead.

“The Barcelona shirt weighs a lot and any player needs to have the strength and personality to wear it. Lautaro has all the qualities to succeed. He’s doing very well at Inter at the moment, but we’ll see if he can show that at the Camp Nou one day,” Allegri explained in an interview with Spanish news outlet Marca, which appeared on their online edition.

Lautaro joined Inter in a circa €20 million deal from Superliga Argentina side Racing Club back in the Summer of 2018. He has a contract with Inter until 2023.

This season he has made 37 appearances across all competitions to date, in which he has scored 17 goals and provided five assists for his teammates.