Calciomercato Web has reported that Arsenal are among the teams interested in signing Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez.
The source has revealed that Real Madrid are also in contention to sign Martinez considering that their talisman Karim Benzema will be turning 35 later this year. Los Blancos are said to be considering the South American as Benzema’s replacement.
The Nerazzurri recently tied down Martinez to a new contract and therefore, their valuation of the Argentine has considerably increased, to a mammoth £86.8 million (€100 million).
Arsenal were linked with a move for Martinez this past summer as well and the Times reported at the time that a fee in the range of £70 million would be enough to prise away the 25-year-old from San Siro.
The North London club decided to swoop in for former Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus but it appears Arteta is still hoping to bring in another top class forward with Martinez on his radar.
North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be interested in signing Martinez but Real Madrid could hold the edge in this transfer race.
Our View
Martinez is one of the most gifted strikers in Europe right now. The Argentinean international has been the subject of transfer speculation in the last two years and next summer he could finally get his big-money move, especially if Inter manage to make Romelu Lukaku’s stay in Milan permanent.
Martinez is lethal inside the box and is extremely proficient in passing and slicing the opposition’s backline open. He often gets into goal-scoring positions and is extremely mature when it comes to decision-making. He is agile and deceptively physical, which makes him an ideal candidate for Arteta.
Antonio Conte worked with him during his time at Inter and Martinez enjoyed one of his more productive seasons under the Italian tactician. It would be interesting to see if Martinez leaves Inter next summer but with Madrid also potentially interested in signing him, he could opt for a switch to Spain, given the Whites’ rich European history.
Arteta will need to convince Martinez of his project ahead of Madrid and Spurs’ if he wants him next summer.
