Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio has insisted that Lautaro Martinez is not for sale and that Barcelona has to pay the €111 million (£97m/$121 m) release fee for the Argentinean should they wish to sign it.
Goal claimed that the Catalans made the forward their top transfer priority, and are prepared to offer a € 10 m (£9m/$11 m) deal a year to land the 22-year-old.
The Blaugrana has made Argentina its top priority this summer, but can only land it for a transfer fee of nine figures
Lautaro is currently available for €111 million (£97m$121 m), which will expire on July 15 with the release clause.
Although Barcelona was keen to offer several players as part of a swap deal to drive down the fee for Lautaro, Ausilio has drawn a line in the sand and said that the exit clause must be met.
“As for Martinez, there’s only one way he’s going to leave Inter and that’s by paying his clause. A clause that everybody knows – there’s no point in pretending – is difficult, as it has both deadlines and promises that need to be held accurately. It’s a clause that expires early July so it won’t last long. And it’s the only chance that exists today to take Lautaro off Inter, ” Ausilio told Sky Italia.
Lautaro was a big part of Inter’s success this season, scoring 16 overall goals as the Nerazzurri is currently sitting third in the Series A table.
Inter’s potential success relies, according to Ausilio, on holding players like Lautaro, rather than letting them go. Ausilio added that many teams had contacted his side regarding the Argentine forward, but Barcelona was the most persistent.
