As Inter Milan swept AC Monza aside 4-1 in their Serie A opener on Saturday evening, president Beppe Marotta firmly ruled out any move for Lautaro Martinez, who has reportedly attracted interest from the Catalans.
"Lautaro is our captain, he embodies Inter's current history. And therefore I can assure you that there are absolutely no grounds for him to leave Inter. We do not want to lose Lautaro under any circumstances, and there should not even be any talk of it," Marotta made clear on DAZN.
Spanish media recently reported that Barcelona had identified the Argentine forward as a candidate for the vacant centre-forward role. Following Robert Lewandowski's free transfer departure to MLS, the Catalans are scrambling to find a new number nine.
At one stage, Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid had been seen as the preferred option for coach Hansi Flick and Co, but the Rojiblancos quickly shut that down. Club representatives repeatedly made it clear they had no intention of letting Alvarez leave.
If Barca were determined to push a transfer through, they would have to trigger the release clause in the 26-year-old's contract. It is believed to be above the €500 million mark, a figure that no club is likely to meet.
More recently, Atletico coach Diego Simeone also reinforced that stance and insisted Alvarez would definitely be wearing the Madrid club's shirt next season: "There is nothing more to say about it. It is like in court: then there is no more room for doubt."
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Getty ImagesHow long does Lautaro Martinez still have left on his Inter Milan contract?
Inter are also in a strong negotiating position when it comes to Martinez. The 29-year-old is under contract in Milan until 2029, and it is believed there is no release clause.
Last season, the Argentine was a kind of life insurance policy for the Nerazzurri. In 41 appearances across all competitions, he scored 22 goals and also directly set up six more.