Chelsea are planning a massive summer transfer raid to secure, Barcelona target and current Inter Milan striker, Lautaro Martinez.
Martinez has been a rising star in Serie A since his arrival from Racing Club in 2018, securing 25 goals in 66 appearances across all competitions, and at just 22 years of age, he has attracted elite European clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Machester City and Chelsea.
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Metro claims that Real Madrid had attempted to hijack Barca’s plan to secure the Argentine and had made contact with the player’s representatives in January, but the Catalan side had quickly retaliated and confirmed with Martinez that he would only move to the Nou Camp; if he ever does move to La Liga.
Barcelona President, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has made major plans for the summer transfer window, with reports claiming a massive double signing of Martinez and Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar, in the making.
Sport, however, claims that Premier League sides Manchester City and Chelsea are also planning to join the competition for the Argentine striker, with both the foreign-invested sides willing to offer exorbitant transfer fees to Inter.
Lautaro had previously rejected Manchester United’s attempts, and while City and Chelsea have held their share of meetings with the Player’s representatives, the 22-year-old does not seem to have Premier League as his current priority.
Reports claim that the young prospect wants to live his dream of playing alongside Barca legend, Lionel Messi at club level, which would also surely secure his place in the national team for years to come.
Despite Barca being the favorite choice of the Inter star, to secure him, Barca will have to finalize a deal quickly in order to chase the rival clubs away. Martinez’s release clause falls to €111 million (£100 m) during the first half of July 2020, and could possibly be the only chance to bring him to the Nou Camp.
However, Barca do find the asking fee to be at the higher end of the stick, and have plans of offering Arturo Vidal as a potential add on to the deal in order to lower the asking price.
Do you want Lautaro Martinez to become the long term successor to Luis Suarez?