Manchester United
Premier League • England
Man Utd, Tottenham learn transfer fate as Serie A ace makes telling admission on future
Manchester United and Tottenham have learned the fate of their potential transfers for Lautaro Martinez, after the striker made his hopes for the future clear.
Martinez has been one of the hottest talents in Europe for much of his time at Inter Milan. After he took a season to settle in Italy, he hit the right note in his second campaign.
Indeed, during the 2019/20 season, the Argentinian netted 21 times in all competitions.
Since then, he has not looked back. During his 196 games as an Inter player, Martinez has scored 81 goals and provided 27 assists.
He was third-top goalscorer in Serie A last season with 21 goals. During Inter’s Champions League last 16 tie against Liverpool, he scored a fantastic goal, that had many – including Jurgen Klopp – raving over him.
While links to a potential move to Liverpool stemmed from that, those have died down. Instead, it’s Man Utd and Spurs who are the most heavily-linked sides.
Recent reports from Gazzetta dello Sport have stated that the Red Devils have been in contact with Inter regarding a potential move.
Meanwhile, Antonio Conte will apparently have a massive war chest as his disposal, should he a pen a new deal, per La Repubblica, and those funds could be used to snare the Argentine.
Martinez transfer unlikely at present
While the two Prem sides seem keen, they may be out of luck in their pursuit of Martinez for the time being.
Indeed, the Inter star has revealed that he wants to remain at the club, as he is more than content with his present situation.
“I am doing well [at Inter] and I am happy. I hope to become a ‘bandiera’ in the future,” he said, quoted by 90min.
“There are a lot of objectives upcoming and I hope to continue on this path. I have a contract and I am only thinking about Inter.”
Indeed, it seems, at least for the time being, United and Spurs will not have the chance to add Martinez to their teams.
Inter situation could change Martinez’s mind
While Martinez sounds fairly certain about his desire to remain with Inter, that may well change if their situation worsens. Indeed, the San Siro outfit are currently seventh in Serie A.
They are way off the pace, eight points behind table-topping Napoli. That is not to be expected for a side that have not finished outside the top two since the 2018/19 campaign.
Should they finish around their current position, it could lead to their stars thinking of moving on. Indeed, no Champions League football would be a terrible situation for the likes of Martinez.
That could well play into the hands of United or Spurs. Of course, there is a good chance that Inter will improve, and find their way back to the top end of the table.
However, there is a long time until the end of the season, so anything could happen between now and then.