Inter striker Lautaro Martinez’s pathway to the Nerazzurri captaincy could be shortened if Marcelo Brozovic is to be put up for sale in the summer.
This according to today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who note that uncertainty around Brozovic’s future could make Martinez the most logical candidate for the armband on a permanent basis.
Samir Handanovic is Inter’s captain for the moment, although there is a good chance that the Slovenian will leave in the summer meaning that a new captain will have to be selected.
Milan Skriniar has been wearing the armband this season since the 38-year-old dropped to the bench, but given that Skriniar intends to leave at the end of the season, he is no longer in the running for the armband long-term.
Apart from Skriniar, all of the likes of Danilo D’Ambrosio, Brozovic, and Martinez have worn the armband in recent matches when Handanovic has not started.
If the selection decision to succeed Handanovic on a permanent basis is to be made based on seniority, as it has for the temporary captain over the past couple seasons, then Brozovic would be the next in line.
However, there is a real chance that Inter will decide to put the Croat up for sale in the summer transfer window, meaning that he would become a much less obvious candidate for the armband.
This leaves not just Martinez, but also the likes of Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni among others as possible future captains.
However, according to the Corriere, it would be Martinez who is ahead of all other candidates to succeed Handanovic, with Skriniar now completely out of contention, and Brozovic the other main rival for the armband who would potentially be ruled out.
