Barcelona step up Lautaro Martinez chase as Inter boss admits 'the market is a b*stard'

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Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

Barcelona are stepping up their chase for Inter striker Lautaro Martinez as their chances of signing Atletico Madrid superstar Julian Alvarez diminish.

The Catalans' desperate search for a new No.9 is entering the decisive phase. Time is running out in the summer window, and Barcelona must act, with head coach Hansi Flick clear that he wants at least one senior striker in his team this season.

The reigning LaLiga champions have been chasing Alvarez all summer, but a deal looks nigh on impossible at this stage. Atleti have not budged from their stance that they won't sell the striker to their domestic rivals, and Barcelona obviously can't wait for a breakthrough forever.

Indeed, reports earlier this week suggested that the club would officially start pursuing alternative options if no Alvarez agreement was in place by the end of Friday. This deadline will evidently pass with no meaningful progress. In fact, Alvarez appears to be actively slipping away.

Fabrizio Romano has corroborated reports that Atleti sporting director Mateu Alemany was in London for talks with Arsenal. It is believed that the Rojiblancos would be more open to selling Alvarez abroad, but the striker has not yet warmed to the idea of returning to England.

Inter boss can't rule out Lautaro sale

On Thursday, Sky Germany confirmed that Inter forward Martinez is one of the alternative targets being considered. Barcelona are long-standing admirers, and there had already been links earlier in the week.

El Chiringuito has gone one step further and claimed that there is already an agreement on personal terms with Lautaro, but this has not been confirmed by any other credible source.

It is clear, though, that Barcelona are stepping up their pursuit of the 28-year-old, with whom there is said to be good rapport. Unsurprisingly, though, Inter insist that they will not sell their captain this late in the window.

This was reiterated by Cristian Chivu on Friday, although the Inter head coach was forced to admit that the transfer market is a "b*stard," where nothing can be entirely ruled out.

"The transfer market is always like this," he said. "It's nice to hear about certain players because it means they're recognised as greats. He's our captain, he's a great player, and we're holding onto him because he represents what we've been and what we want to be in the future.

"I'm holding onto him, and I think he'll be with us for a long time," Chivu added. "I can say that we want Lautaro to stay with us, but the transfer market is always a b*stard."

The problem that Barcelona face, even if Inter were to open the door to a possible sale of Martinez, is the fact that they have already shown their hand - and everyone knows they're desperate.

They have indicated that they would be prepared to pay more than €100 million for Alvarez, so why should Inter sell Martinez for less?