Real Madrid will reportedly have to shell out a transfer fee of €70 million in order to sign Lautaro Martinez in the upcoming summer window.
According to a report from the newspaper edition of Tuttosport, as relayed by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Real Madrid have been told that they will need to splash a sum of €70 million if they want to sign Inter Milan’s Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez in the summer transfer window.
Martinez has been a huge hit in Italy since signing for Inter Milan from Argentine outfit Racing Club in 2018. The 23-year-old has formed a brilliant partnership with Romelu Lukaku over the past couple of years at San Siro, and played a crucial role in the Nerazzurri winning the Serie A title this season after a wait of 11 years.
Martinez, in the 2020/21 campaign, has produced an impressive tally of 18 goals and 9 assists from 45 games across all competitions. A long-term transfer target for Barcelona, the 23-year-old has now registered on the radars of their arch-rivals Real Madrid as well, heading into the summer window.
Real Madrid’s interest in Martinez is pretty much self-explanatory as Los Blancos look to take some goalscoring burden off the shoulders of an ageing Karim Benzema while also putting in place a long-term succession plan for the 33-year-old. With Mariano Diaz and Luka Jovic, who is out on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt, proving to be duds, Los Blancos are keen on bringing in a new centre-forward.
Real Madrid remain firmly interested in PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe while Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland is also high on their wishlist. However, the finances involved in order to secure either of the two players could very well be beyond the Merengues’ means who have been hit hard by the pandemic.
To that end, Martinez is being viewed as an alternative, with reports claiming that talks are already on to secure a move for the Argentine. Inter Milan view the striker as a key part of the club’s plans moving forward. However, at the same time, they are also not in good health financially and will need to cut some players in order to balance the books, opening the door for Martinez’s potential exit.
Inter Milan though, will demand a transfer fee of €70 million for the 23-year-old, although, Real Madrid could come up with a way of reducing that valuation. Indeed, as per the report, the Merengues are prepared to waive off the €32 million that the Nerazzurri owe them for the transfer of Achraf Hakimi while the option of loaning out Jovic to the Serie A champions is also being considered.
Martinez, for his part, is said to be open to joining Real Madrid as he eyes the next step in his career. So, it now remains to be seen if Real Madrid are successful in their attempts to land the 23-year-old Argentine or will be forced to look elsewhere for attacking reinforcements.