Inter Milan struggling to renew contract of Barcelona no. 9 target.
Argentine striker, Lautaro Martinez, is still in Inter Milan although Barcelona were keen on signing him this season. The Spanish giants were on the verge of securing the player but due to the pandemic, their finances came crashing down and the deal had to be called off even though both the parties were interested. Now the Italian side wants to secure the player to the club by offering him a new contract but Martinez will not accept unless a certain condition is met.
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The 23-year-old became a sensation last year as he managed to score 21 goals in all competition last season and has already started off quite strong this season as well. He has already registered 4 goals and provided 2 assists. His match against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League group stage was one of his best performances and he managed to score and provide an assist although Inter went on to lose 3-2.
Barca put him as their number one target last transfer window. The Catalans were in desperate need of a new number nine after letting go of legend, Luis Suarez. Lautaro was their first choice and Memphis Depay was their second, however, they could not land either one of the players as they could not sell Ousmane Dembele.
The Italian giants have now opened talks with Martinez in order to extend his current contract which ends in 2023 however, there is an apparent stalemate as the striker wishes for a termination clause to be added in the contract. The Argentine already has that clause in his current contract which allowed him to conduct negotiations with Barca against the wishes of his club.
Inter does not want to go through all the hassle again and thus are denying him that clause. We must wait and see what happens but Barca could approach Inter as Martinez remains one of their targets.
Should Barca sign Lautaro or Depay as the new striker?