Lautaro Martinez open to Arsenal or Tottenham move - but Inter will block transfer
Inter forward Lautaro Martinez is open to joining either Arsenal or Tottenham this summer, although the Nerazzurri will do their best to block any move.
Martinez’s form last season was a big reason why Inter ended a decade-long wait for a Serie A title, contributing 17 league goals and a further ten assists.
Both north London clubs have held talks over a potential transfer for Martinez and 90min understands that each has received encouragement from the player’s camp. It was reported on Sunday that Tottenham had actually agreed a £60m fee for the Argentine, but it transpired that that was some time before Chelsea struck a £97.5m deal for strike partner Romelu Lukaku, and Inter's stance has since changed.
Arsenal and Spurs have been informed by Martinez’s representatives that he would be willing to join either club. That is despite neither being able to offer Champions League football this season, but the 23-year-old has grown unhappy at Inter as the squad is dismantled and now wants to leave.
Inter have already started to disassemble their title-winning team by selling Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain for a quick profit and are in the process of doing the same with Lukaku to Chelsea, with the club’s finances coming under scrutiny in recent months.
With regard to Martinez’s future, Inter officials have stepped in to make it clear that they won’t sell him, although the player’s camp still believe there is a chance he will be allowed to go given the state of affairs behind the scenes at the club.
Publicly, Martinez's agent Alejandro Camano has claimed his client is happy in Italy, telling Cesar Luis Merlo: “Lautaro is happy at Inter and in Italy. His decision is to stay. His relationship with Inter is perfect. Lautaro is calm. It is true that there were offers, but today he is comfortable and we will sit down to talk about the future."
Camano then told FCInter1908: "Lautaro is an Inter player and is happy in Italy. He will never enter into conflict with the club. Never, this is reality."
It remains to be seen where the truth lies, but Inter are unlikely to part with both of their star strikers in the same transfer window.
Despite last season's title triumph, the Nerazzurri's incoming transfer business this summer has been relatively limited. Hakan Calhanoglu has made the controversial switch from AC Milan as a free agent, while Matteo Darmian has made his loan from Parma into a permanent transfer for €2.5m.
The only significant transfer outlay has seen €16m spent to re-sign defender Zinho Vanheusden from Standard Liege, having previously sold him to the Belgian club for €12.5m in 2019.
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