Former Juventus striker Nicola Amoruso believes Lautaro Martinez has already made the decision to join Barcelona at the end of the season. The Argentine is currently in his second campaign with Inter Milan where he has caught the eye with 16 goals and four assists across all competitions. The Blaugrana have been long-term admirers of the striker’s services and it appears that they are prepared to make a formal approach to sign him this summer.
Amidst this, Amoruso feels it would be hard for anyone to resist the prospect of playing alongside Lionel Messi, he told: “Lautaro? It all depends on him. If he has decided to go and play with Messi, there is little to do. We could talk about how it’s one of those choices that change your life. Inter are also building well, but it will still take a few years before they will reach the top. I’m convinced that Lautaro has already decided to go, there’s a player’s career at stake, he’d join a team that’s always fighting to win, dominating.”
The Catalan giants have earmarked Martinez as a long-term replacement for Luis Suarez, who has been the first-choice striker at the club. Of late, the Uruguayan has struggled with a number of knee injury setbacks and there are concerns whether that could remain a recurring trend during the final phase of his professional career.
As a result, they are keen on pursuing a new marksman and it remains to be seen whether they can land the signature of Martinez. The Blaugrana are unlikely to trigger the £102m release clause on the player’s contract amid the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic but they are still hopeful of landing the marksman by negotiating a player-plus-cash deal. Arturo Vidal could be one of the players, who could make the switch to San Siro as part of the agreement.