Inter are no longer confident that Lautaro Martinez has his heart set on staying the Giuseppe Meazza and have opened the hunt for a new forward. As claimed by Sky Sport Italia, the reigning Serie A champions have earmarked sought-after Lazio star Joaquin Correa as the Argentine’s long-term heir.
Despite doing everything in their power to prevent Martinez and Romelu Lukaku from departing the club this summer, Inter may have to reconcile with losing at least one of them. Since the Nerazzurri CEO Beppe Marotta already confirmed the club’s intent on retaining the Belgium international, Lautaro could be the one to wave goodbye to Lombardy in the coming weeks.
There is no shortage of suitors for Martinez, who has developed into one of Europe’s finest strikers since swapping Racing Club for Inter in summer 2019. The 23-year-old has excelled in Serie A, establishing himself as an indispensable cog in Antonio Conte’s title-winning machine back in 2020/21.
Martinez’s eye-catching showings at Inter have not gone unnoticed. Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are the Argentine’s long-term admirers, while Arsenal recently joined the fray, looking to take their outside chances and reinforce the attacking department. The player himself has never ruled out the possibility of exiting Serie A for a big-money move abroad.
Well aware they may not have the power to scare off Martinez’s chasers, Inter have already scoured the market for a potential replacement. Correa, who has grown into one of the most highly-rated forwards in Serie A during his three-year stint at Lazio, is Marotta’s first-choice target.
The prospect of having the 26-year-old switch to Lombardy has got some legs following Simone Inzaghi’s appointment at the Giuseppe Meazza. The Italian tactician worked with Correa for three years at Lazio, playing a key role in the Argentine’s rise to stardom at the Stadio Olimpico.
Inzaghi knows Correa well and has already given the go-ahead to Marotta to pursue a deal with Lazio if Martinez ends up leaving Italy in the upcoming period. In addition to Inter, Paris Saint-Germain and Everton are also credited with an interest in ex-Sevilla forward.