Barcelona hold talks with agent of leading Julian Alvarez alternative | OneFootball

Barcelona are still prioritising the signing of a new striker this summer, but with the transfer window closing soon, time is running out. They have focused much of their efforts on Julian Alvarez over the last two months, but with a deal no closer to being done for the Atletico Madrid man, they have started to serious consider alternatives.

The likes of Harry Kane and Eli Junior Kroupi have already been ruled out by Barcelona, but they still have several options to choose from if they are to miss out on Alvarez. One of them is his international teammate Lautaro Martinez, and their interest in the Inter Milan striker has been reported in the last 24 hours.

Barcelona’s interest in Martinez has been ongoing for some time, dating back several years. Now could be the time they act on it, and moves have already been made, with Jijantes FC reporting that sporting director Deco held talks with the 28-year-old’s representatives last week.

Barcelona keen to understand Martinez’s situation at Inter

Deco scheduled the meeting to gauge Martinez’s situation at Inter, and whether he would be interested in joining Barcelona as Robert Lewandowski’s replacement. On paper, he would be a blockbuster addition, given that he has scored 19 goals or more for seven successive seasons, which is made more impressive when considering that Italy is a notoriously tough place for strikers.

However, it is certain that Inter will not want to sell Martinez this summer, knowing that he is their star player in attack. Even if a deal was to be considered, the likelihood is that Barcelona would be asked to pay in excess of €100m – and while they would have the money to do so, it may not be the wisest decision to splash out that much on a player that is already 28, and has no experience of playing in Spanish football.