Barcelona have decided to give up in their attempts to sign Inter striker Lautaro Martinez and instead will purchase Lyon’s Memphis Depay, according to a report from Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo earlier today.
The report details how the Blaugrana were linked with the 23-year-old Argentine forward for some time, even reaching an agreement regarding personal terms with the player months ago. The Catalan side failed to pay Lautaro’s €111 million release clause in July and since then the Nerazzurri have not been easy to deal with, clearly not keen to lose the player.
Depay is a much more affordable option compared to Lautaro, the report continues, and so Barcelona will instead look to sign the Dutchman to replace the outgoing Luis Suarez. The former Liverpool and Ajax striker now seems likely to head to Juventus, although he is still working on receiving an Italian passport. Lautaro is likely to receive a new deal before the start of the season.
