Barcelona reevaluate Lautaro Martinez’s transfer from Inter Milan

Lautaro Martinez’s poor performance leads to Barcelona re-evaluating.

Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has revealed that the board are analyzing the Lautaro deal as the club’s financial situation demands careful transfer plans ahead of the reopening of the transfer window.

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The Argentine striker has been in poor form ever since the restart and has only managed 1 goal, failing to score in the last 6 fixtures. After missing a penalty in the match against Bologna, Antonio Conte had enough of him and benched him in the match against Hellas Verona to be substituted with just 15 minutes remaining.

While Lautaro’s performance might be an indication for his departure from San Siro, Barcelona who have pursued him heavily are re-evaluating the situation. Bartomeu doesn’t want to push for a transfer with the current market situation heavily affected by COVID-19.

"“In Lautaro’s case the negotiation is halted right now. We spoke to Inter a few weeks ago. We are in an assessment phase. We have spoken with Inter about Lautaro, but not recently. We will wait to finish the season and re-assess everything.” Bartomeu said.Source Goal via TV3"

If Lautaro’s recent performance is taken into account, the 22-year-old clearly desires a move away from Inter, but it’s very uncertain due to the recent expiration of his 111 million euros release clause. Even the Nerazzurri’s CEO, Beppe Marotta suspects the dip in the striker’s performance is due to his intentions of securing a move to Camp Nou.

According to Mundo Deportivo, via La Gazzetta dello Sport, both the clubs will renegotiate in August after their respective competitions are concluded. Should the clubs renegotiate, Barca will have to come up with enough financial power to confirm Martinez’s deal.

While the Argentine’s release clause has expired, reportedly, both the clubs have agreed to that 111 million euros amount for future negotiations. Barcelona intend to sell Philippe Coutinho, who is currently loaned out to Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga giants, however, have made it clear that they do not wish to purchase his services, and with the Brazilian looking for a move back to Premier League, former club Liverpool could purchase him.

While Barcelona are re-thinking the situation, the young striker could be the perfect solution for aging Luis Suarez who is 33 years of age and was out until recently due to an injury.

Should Barca sign Lautaro Martinez despite the recent dip in performance?