Inter will not let Martinez go for less than €111m

Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez has been the subject of a long-standing interest from Barcelona as they seek for a long-term successor for Luis Suarez. The Argentina international’s contract with the Nerazzurri reportedly contains a buyout clause set at €111 million, but in the light of the Covid-19 situation round the world and the expected consequent drop in football players’ prices, the Catalan club have been hoping they would be able to sign Martinez for significantly less than the figure set in the reported clause.

However, Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport) claim that will not be the case. Inter do not wish to sell the 22-year-old at all, and therefore have no intention of accepting any offer below €111m which would force them to.

Sport suggest that Inter’s stance could perhaps be softened if Barcelona were to include Arthur Melo in their offer, but the La Liga champions don’t want to do that. They would be prepared to offer midfielder Carles Alena, as well as fullbacks Junior Firpo, Marc Cucurella or Nelson Semedo instead. It remains to be seen whether Inter would be interested in taking any of those players.