Exclusive - Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool have asked Inter to keep them informed of any developments regarding the future of forward Lautaro Martinez.
Martinez has enjoyed another fine season with Inter, scoring 16 times in Serie A so far to help the Nerazzurri end an 11-year title drought. His partnership with Romelu Lukaku has also continued to flourish, directly assisting five of the Belgian’s 21 Serie A goals.
Martinez was expected to join Barcelona last summer, only for the Catalan giants to back away from the deal because of their increasingly poor financial situation.
But it is troubling finances at Inter that could now end up determining Martinez’s future.
The Argentine spoke earlier this year about wanting to sign a new contract at San Siro, although even then he acknowledged that the club has been experiencing difficulties.
“The contract renewal? We’re working on it," Martinez said at the time. "Inter at the moment are in a bit of financial difficulty but I am calm because the agreement can be found."
Those difficulties have since been confirmed by Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti, opening up the possibility of Inter selling key players in order to raise funds.
Lukaku has also attracted interest from abroad, particularly from Manchester City and former club Chelsea. 90min understands that Inter would love to keep both players, but at least one major sale may be required to address their dire financial situation.
23-year-old Martinez is the more likely of the two to leave, and could be available for less than £70m - which potentially makes him a good value signing as far as top class forwards go. He is a player of interest to City, Chelsea and Liverpool, all of whom are exploring options to strengthen at the top end of the pitch.
City and Chelsea particularly see him as an interesting potential alternative to primary striker target Erling Haaland, a player that Borussia Dortmund are determined to keep hold of having proven their resilience in similar matters in the past.
Real Madrid have also shown a fleeting interest in Martinez, although their own financial difficulties mean a bid is unlikely to materialise.
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Source : 90min