Barcelona Pursuit of Inter Star Martinez Didn’t Go Far | OneFootball

The rumors linking Lautaro Martinez to Barcelona popped up late in the summer window, but their chase started a lot sooner, as he was the top fallback to Julian Alvarez, whom Atletico Madrid refused to sell to their rivals.

According to TycSport (via Calciomercato), while Los Colchoneros star welcomed the Blaugrana pursuit from the get-go and did what he could to push to join, El Toro was always keen to stay with the Nerazzurri.

Barcelona started tracking Martinez long before the Alvarez talks went pear-shaped. They initially reached out to him and his camp during the World Cup, when it became clear they wouldn’t renew Robert Lewandowski’s contract. The marksman eventually signed with the Chicago Fire FC after flirting with a couple of Serie A teams.

Despite the early approach and the tempting offer, the Inter captain quickly re-committed to his current team. The clubs never really began negotiating, despite the late chatter, when the Catalans scrambled for a top-shelf option.

The 29-year-old quickly shook off the post-World Cup rust this season and has scored four goals in as many Serie A appearances, leading a glorious comeback with a brace in the recent clash with Roma.

Our Take on Martinez, Inter and Barcelona

It’ll be the most logical next landing spot if he ever decides to leave Inter, as they have been circling each other for a few years, and he has many more seasons at a high level ahead of them. However, if it ever happens, it’ll be set up well in advance to give Inter time to prepare and won’t come together out of the blue late in the summer.