Barcelona give up on transfer target Lautaro Martinez despite selling Luis Suarez as Inter Milan ace eyes new contract
BARCELONA have given up on their pursuit of transfer target Lautaro Martinez, according to reports.
The LaLiga giants were tracking the Inter Milan striker for much of the summer.
Lautaro Martinez looks set to stay put at Inter Milan this summer after Barcelona gave up their chase[/caption]But Calciomercato believe they have decided to stop their chase.
That is despite selling striker Luis Suarez to Atletico Madrid last week.
The transfer fell through because Barcelona’s dire financial position meant stumping up the asking price was impossible.
Martinez, 23, did have a £101million release clause in his contract but that expired in July.
It was understood Inter wanted at least £73m for their striker and refused any offer from Barcelona to include any players as part of a deal.
With a Barcelona transfer and the chance to play with Lionel Messi now seemingly off the cards, Martinez looks set to stay at the San Siro.
And he may well sign a new contract, extending his current deal which expires in 2023.
The Argentine made a scoring start to Inter’s Serie A season on Saturday.
The Argentine striker scored Inter’s first in the 4-3 comeback win over Fiorentina[/caption]Most read in Football
He grabbed a crucial equaliser just before half-time as Inter beat Fiorentina.
Late goals from Romelu Lukaku and Danilo D’Ambrosio secured a remarkable 4-3 comeback win.