Barcelona-linked Martinez challenged by Conte to take game to next level

Antonio Conte is not concerned about speculation linking Lautaro Martinez with Barcelona and has challenged the Inter forward to take his game to the next level.

Reports in Spain have suggested Barcelona are eyeing the Argentina international as a long-term replacement for Luis Suarez, while Manchester United are also rumoured to be interested in the player.

Martinez scored for Inter in their 2-1 Champions League loss at Camp Nou last month and already has seven goals in all competitions this term, striking up an excellent partnership with Romelu Lukaku.

Yet despite the speculation, Conte has told the 22-year-old to continue working hard if he wants to maximise his obvious potential.

“We look to the present to build the future,” Conte said at his pre-match news conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bologna.

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“He is working well and has made good progress. He can still make further progress because he is still only 22 years old.

“He has to continue to work hard. Much of the transfer talk comes from that and it cannot be seen as a problem at this moment – there are bigger concerns.

“He must try to be more selfish when he has a chance to score. It’s all part of his growth process. I want to improve all of my players.

While Martinez has thrived under the coaching of Conte, team-mate Valentino Lazaro has struggled since arriving from Hertha Berlin in a €22million deal during the close season.

Amid talk that Inter are looking to bring in a new right-sided player, Conte has vowed to give the Austria international a chance to justify his price tag.

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