Inter Milan Takes Lautaro Martinez Out Of The Market

Barcelona's pursuit of Lautaro Martinez is a foregone conclusion. With the 23-year-old's release clause expiring last July, inter Milan sporting director Piero Ausilio considers the Argentine national untransferable.

Ausilio confirmed that Barcelona did approach them about Martinez but never got to the negotiations stage. Martinez was heavily linked to a move to Barca, especially during when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. He was seen as the long-term replacement for Luis Suarez but it appears the Catalan giants will have to look for someone else.

In a previous post, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang loomed as a plausible alternative. That piqued the interest of the Gabon national but nothing progressed. Though nothing has been officially announced, the belief is that Aubameyang is set to play on at Emirates Stadium.

With Arsenal taking the time to offer Aubameyang a new deal, clubs expressed interest in the 31-year-old player. His exemplary performance after the football restart could not be overlooked and Barcelona loomed like a plausible destination. However, these never went beyond the speculation stages.

It would be best to note as well that the current state of Barca may no longer appeal to Martinez. The club is in a delicate stage and key players are headed out the door. Of all the names moving out, there is perhaps no bigger name making headlines as of late than Lionel Messi.

After a poor 2019-20 campaign, the Argentine made it known of his intentions to move out. There was a clause in his contract where he would be able to go for free although that right expired in June. But with the season getting extended, Messi's camp is batting that this is still valid.

For Ausilio, seeing Messi leave Cam Nou was farfetched and something unlikely to happen. He adds that any team would love to sign him but the current conditions and reality are different. There are a lot of things to consider before thinking of a Messi transfer.

"If we talk about Messi, there is no club that doesn't want to sign him [but] the reality is different. In the market, we must be careful and smart," Ausilio said. "We know what we have to do. First of all, the exits. Through these, we will finance the newcomers. The opportunities are few and the ones we can take are not so expensive."