Manchester City are interested in signing Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan, according to reports from Calciomercato, with Barcelona also reportedly keen on the Argentinian striker.
Martinez, 22, has been with the Nerazzurri since joining from Racing Club in the Argentinian Primera Division in 2018, and he has formed a formidable partnership alongside Romelu Lukaku this season, both vying for the golden boot. The striker has the potential to both Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero’s for a starting place at Manchester City, while he could also challenge Luis Suarez’s position in the Barcelona starting line-up.
The History and Statistics
Lautaro Martinez was born in Bahia Blanca, Argentina and began his career as a defender before being switched to a more attacking role. His abilities at youth level attracted the attention of Racing Club, joining them in 2014 and making his first appearance for in November 2015, replacing Inter Milan legend Diego Milito.
Following an injury to their first-choice striker, Martinez assumed a more senior role in the side for the 2016/17, scoring nine goals in 23 league games. The striker was linked with moves to Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, the latter of which allegedly gave him a medical without Racing’s permission.
That summer Martinez took part in the Under-20 South American Championship, as well as the Under-20 World Cup for Argentina. A year later in 2018, he was called up to the senior side for the first time, he has made 18 appearances in total scoring nine goals.
Martinez’s Copa Libertadores debut was emphatic after he scored a hat-trick against Brazilian side Cruzeiro. Later the same month Serie A giants Inter Milan signed the Argentinian for a fee of €20m.
During the 2018/19 season in the top-flight Italian Martinez scored six goals in 27 appearances, though 14 of those were as a substitute. While he has transformed his scoring record this season since the introduction of Antonio Conte, scoring eight goals in 14 appearances, as well as five in five Champions League matches.
The Prospects
If Martinez was to make the move as Calciomercato suggest, he would add extra firepower to an already potent Manchester City attack. Though he is a different style of player to Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, as Martinez is more of a poacher who is particularly strong in the air, as well as possessing lethal finishing, which at 22 he is still perfecting. He has a proven record of scoring at the elite level in the Champions League and Serie A, but that is based on a small sample size of games this season.
Considering Aguero is in the hunt for the Premier League Golden Boot, it is unlikely Martinez would be able to take his international compatriots lead striker role at Manchester City, but he could certainly cause Jesus concern for his place as the number two striker. However, an issue in the deal being completed may be Martinez’s willingness to sit on the bench. He is currently one of the first names on Antonio Conte’s team sheet and scoring goals for fun, so he may not wish to give that up.
Another sticking point could be the Argentinian’s price tag, Martinez is valued at £40m, but with Barcelona also reportedly interested, Manchester City could get wrapped into a bidding war. The Sky Blues have never paid more than £62m for Rodrigo, while Barcelona have parted with over £100m on Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann, so they could possibly out price their Premier League rivals.
