Chelsea have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez as the 25-year-old wants to move to the Premier League this summer, according to Football Insider.
The online news portal claims the Argentina forward is willing to move to England if the right opportunity presents itself. It is believed that he would be sold in the region of £70m with several clubs interested in making a move for him.
The West Londoners have been linked with a move for several forwards including Neymar, Wilfried Zaha, Sadio Mane, Victor Osimhen, and Harry Kane after struggling for goals this season. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who joined the club last summer from Barcelona, has scored only three goals and registered one assist in 22 appearances across all competitions.
Aubameyang has been tipped to leave the club and make a return to Camp Nou in the summer, hence the need for reinforcement in attack. Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling are currently Chelsea’s top scorers with nine goals each.
Chelsea have already completed a deal that will see France and RB Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku join the Premier League club this summer. Nkunku has 19 goals and five assists for the Bundesliga outfit in 32 appearances in all competitions.
Quality signing
Romelu Lukaku will return to Chelsea when his contract expires at the end of the season, having joined Inter Milan on a season-long deal. Talks over his future have been delayed due to Inter’s participation in the final of the Champions League.
It is believed that incoming boss Mauricio Pochettino is open to the idea of working with Lukaku and reintegrating him back into the Chelsea squad, but the Belgium international is yet to confirm his plans for next season.
Despite the imminent talks in the summer, Chelsea are in the market to bring in at least one more attacker to bolster their squad, and Martinez has been identified as a serious transfer target.
The South American forward helped Lionel Messi’s Argentina lift the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, racking up six appearances in the tournament. He has been in tremendous form for Inter this season, propelling them to the finals of this season’s Champions League where they will face Manchester City.
He has 25 goals and 10 assists in 52 matches for Inter across all competitions this season so he’d be an excellent addition to the Chelsea squad if they could lure him to West London this summer.
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