This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Lautaro Martinez is undoubtedly one of the hottest prospects in the whole world at the very moment.
Aged just 22, the Argentine forward has been as lethal and as prolific as they go in the 2019/20 season.
So far, he has managed to bag 13 goals and assist further three in a total of just 19 games played across all competitions, including five strikes in just as many Champions League games.
Needless to say, he’s currently Antonio Conte’s brightest diamond and he will definitely have to fight in order to keep him around.
It seems that the likes of Manchester City and Barcelona are already on the prowl, taking a huge interest in the 22-year-old as both teams could actually use a young forward to replace their ageing strikers in Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez.
But can the Nerazzurri actually pull off the impossible and somehow persuade Martinez to stay in Italy and snub all those European giants in the process?
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Just recently, the player himself spoke highly of his current club when talking to Sky Sport Italia (quoted by Goal), calling it his home as well:
“Inter is my home. That’s something very important for me. I try to work hard and prove with humility on the pitch that I deserve to wear this shirt. I want to bring as much joy as possible to the Nerazzurri fans and my family.”
Those words might have stung his potential suitors and could bring hope to Inter.
There were some whispers of Conte’s men actually trying to tie Martinez down with a new contract, as per Sport Mediaset (via SempreInter) and wouldn’t that be a statement to the world?
Pep Guardiola has seemingly taken an interest in the young forward and with Manchester City definitely being one of the top brass of European football, it would be rather difficult to say no to him.
This is even more reinforced by the fact Aguero is on the wrong side of his 30s and with his current injuries, would need a proper replacement sooner rather than later.
But Martinez has a good project going at Inter as well and at the moment, it seems the Nerazzurri might even emerge victorious from this bout.
Only time will tell.
Elsewhere, Manchester United really missed out on a golden opportunity when they failed to snatch another prolific striker during the summer…
