Arsenal
Arsenal hopeful of agreeing deal after opening talks to sign £65m South American
Arsenal have been given encouragement a deal can be agreed for Lautaro Martinez as Inter Milan would rather sell the £65m striker than Romelu Lukaku
Arsenal have been given encouragement a deal can be agreed for Lautaro Martinez as Inter Milan would rather sell the £65m striker than Romelu Lukaku, according to Pete O’Rourke.
Mikel Arteta has already splashed out over £70m on left-back Nuno Tavares, centre-back Ben White and midfielder Albert Lokonga but the Gunners boss is also reportedly in the market for a new striker this summer.
Martinez has emerged as a shock target with The Telegraph reporting last week that Arsenal are eyeing a move to sign the South American hitman from Serie A champions Inter Milan.
O’Rourke has now provided an update on The Football Terrace show and the Sky Sports reporter claims Arsenal have made official enquiries to Inter and are hopeful a deal can be agreed to sign Martinez this summer.
According to O’Rourke, the Gunners have offered Hector Bellerin and Alexandre Lacazette as makeweights in a possible player plus cash exchange but Inter Milan value Martinez at around £65m and want a straight cash deal.
Arsenal would need to offload Lacazette and other unwanted squad players to raise the required funds but O’Rourke says the North Londoners have been given fresh hope that a deal can be agreed as Inter would rather sell Martinez than team mate Lukaku.
The San Siro giants are in financial turmoil so need to cash-in on one of their star strikers this summer and O’Rourke says Inter chiefs would ‘much rather’ sell Martinez than Lukaku – who’s being strongly linked with Chelsea.
With Inter keen to keep hold of Lukaku but desperately needing an influx of cash, it opens the door for Arsenal to strike a deal for Martinez and O’Rourke says the striker is keen on a move to the Premier League.
The Gunners need to raise money quickly to fund their move for Martinez so Arteta will be desperate to find buyers for the likes of Lacazette and Bellerin quickly before rival clubs join the chase to sign the Argentinean international.
Martinez would be a sensational signing for Arsenal if they could somehow pull it off as the 23-year-old has developed into one of the best strikers in Serie A since joining Inter from Racing Club in 2018.
He’s contributed 40 goals and 19 assists in the last two seasons to help the San Siro giants win the Serie A title and he’s exactly the type of top class player Arsenal need if they’re to get back challenging for the top four again.
