From one Argentine striker to another. FC Barcelona are moving on from Julián Alvarez and looking to sign Lautaro Martínez, making him their #1 target in the final days of the transfer window, according to Jijantes. The club is said to have met with the player’s agents, and there reportedly is interest from both parties, but at the moment no deal or transfer bid has emerged.
The Catalans spent most of the summer chasing Alvarez, but Atlético de Madrid always turned down invitations to negotiate. Now,
Barça are looking elsewhere. Martínez, who is Alvarez’s back up for Argentina, has long been rumored as a target for the blaugrana.
However, for one reason or another, the transfer has never materialized. Martínez has played at Internazionale for around eight years, a club he now captains. It is widely seen as a difficult move to pull off, too. He signed a contract extension two years ago which links him to the Italians until 2029.
Martínez has reportedly flirted with joining Barça in the past, but since then, he has stated he would like to retire at Inter. It’s unclear at the moment how willing he is to join Barcelona at this time, but according to Jijantes, the striker has “opened the door” to making the move.
The bigger roadblock may be Inter itself. With time ticking for the transfer window to close, they will not be happy to part with their captain and talismanic forward. Barcelona may have cash to potentially push a deal through, but observers say you should not be surprised if Inter demand a huge fee or reject the Catalans’ advances altogether.
