Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed that he did his utmost to bring Lautaro Martínez to the club from Italian champions Inter Milan this past summer.
Frontman Lautaro was for his part one of a whole host of high-profile attackers linked with a potential move to Catalunya’s capital over the last few months.
Amid a search for a replacement for the outbound Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, those in a position of power at the Camp Nou earmarked the Argentine international as one player capable of filling the void.
In the end, talks between the parties did not go beyond the exploratory stage, with Barcelona having instead brought in Gabriel Jesus in a cut-price deal from Arsenal.
And this week, Joan Laporta has provided an insight into precisely why…
Drawn on Lautaro’s name during an interview with Italian outlet the Corriere dello Sport (as cited by journalist Fabrizio Romano), Barca’s president admitted:
“I tried in every way to get Lautaro Martínez in August. He’s an excellent striker, we wanted him at Barça. I personally called Inter president Marotta and he immediately stopped me: no chance.
“He was not for sale and I respect Inter’s stance.”
Conor Laird – GSFN
