A string of names have been linked to a swap deal offer from Barcelona to try and prise Lautaro Martinez away from Inter but only one could reportedly be a viable option.
The 22-year-old has had an impressive year so far this season having emerged as a leading star in Antonio Conte’s side.
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Martinez has scored 16 goals and provided four assists in 31 appearances, and having also impressed at international level for Argentina too with nine goals in 17 caps, he looks as though he’s set to have a big future for club and country moving forward.
Given the quality that he has shown for the Italian giants and the key attributes which arguably make him a top choice for many big clubs around Europe looking to bolster their attacking options, it’s no surprise that interest is said to be building in him.
As reported by Calciomercato, Barcelona have been heavily linked, but they must put together a package worth €111m even with players offered in exchange to bring the cash sum down.
Antoine Griezmann, Nelson Semedo, Carles Alena, Arturo Vidal and Arthur are all specifically mentioned as options but doubts are raised over each of them due to a variety of reasons including hefty wage demands, not being of interest to Inter and Barcelona not wanting to sacrifice them.
However, it seems that there is a little more positivity regarding one name, and that is Junior Firpo. It’s noted that Inter could be interested if the price is right, while Sport reported last month that Barcelona value him at €20m and have previously considered including the left-back in their offer for Martinez.
Giving the green light to a Firpo exit could give the Catalan giants a separate headache as they’ll lose their only competition behind Jordi Alba at left-back, but if it means boosting their chances of prising Martinez away from Inter, they may be willing to do it.