Barcelona set for decisive meeting regarding Lautaro Martinez

The Argentine striker remains a priority for Barcelona.

With Luis Suarez on the verge of leaving Barcelona, the club will be left without a striker. A striker is on their list of priority signings and has been for a number of years.

The Catalans have been linked with only a few names this past season and they are reportedly set to make one last push for a name on that list.

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According to Sport, Lautaro Martinez is still Barcelona’s top priority and will make one final offer to Inter Milan in the hopes of landing him. In addition, the player’s agents are set to arrive in Milan in the coming days to try to facilitate a deal.

Inter are holding out for €85 million but Barcelona’s final offer will reportedly be €65 million and a player. Who that player will be remains uncertain.

Nelson Semedo, Junior Firpo and Arturo Vidal were a few of the players being linked a couple of months back.

Vidal is all but set to join Inter in the coming days. An official announcement has yet to be made so the Chilean midfielder could theoretically still be part of a deal.

In the eyes of Barcelona, Martinez is going to have to take the next step and inform Inter that he wants to leave.

As mentioned, the next week is going to be critical and will go a long way in determining whether they can land Martinez or not.

Barcelona have a backup in the form of Memphis Depay.

While Martinez is still the preferred choice at striker, should a deal not be feasible, Barcelona are also shuffling the option of signing Memphis Depay.

The Dutch forward has been linked with a move to Barcelona in the recent weeks and his ties with Ronald Koeman in the national team has been cited as the biggest reason why.

Depay would cost significantly less than Martinez and it is believed the Catalans could get him for €25 million.

Rudi Garcia, his manager at Lyon, spoke about his player being linked with a move away.

"“Memphis is a fantastic player and if he can play the season with Lyon, we will only be stronger.“But like many of my players, if they have the opportunity to play in a club built to win the Champions League, and he’s met a lot of them last season, I will personally take him in my car.”Source: Goal"

Their options at striker will more than likely come down to either Depay or Martinez. One is not a typical striker but has the advantage of being coached by Koeman in the past. The other had somewhat of a breakout season but sputtered a bit in the Europa League.

The wild card with Martinez, however, is that it could have a positive effect with regards to Lionel Messi as they would be signing a fellow countryman. Martinez is a more prototypical striker and could also help, depending on the formation, in getting the best out of Antoine Griezmann.