Inter are facing an unexpected slump in form, having not won any of their previous five games. What’s more worrying is they have not found the back of the net in any of the last four encounters, as Edin Dzeko, Alexis Sanchez and Lautaro Martinez experience a drought in goalscoring form.
While 35-year-old Dzeko approaches the latter stages of his career and Sanchez’s future up in the air, it is young Martinez who is attracting the interest of two top clubs. Manchester City and Atletico Madrid are the suitors in line, with the latter having sent scouts to monitor the young striker during the recent Milan derby stalemate.
The former Racing Club marksman was part of 65 uneventful minutes, before being subbed off for fellow South American Sanchez.
Man City boost in Martinez hunt as Inter identify Marcus Thuram as replacement https://t.co/R2yDjVfAtJ
— Sun Sport (@SunSport) March 3, 2022
The two giants have received a huge boost in their transfer pursuit of the Argentine striker, mainly due to the Nerazzurri’s intention to reignite efforts to bring in former target Marcus Thuram from Borussia Monchengladbach. (via Tuttosport)
The deal for Thuram was put off before the start of the current campaign, back in August 2021, mainly due to his knee injury setbacks. Inter then proceeded to sign Joaquin Correa from Lazio because of the breakdown in negotiations – with another reason being the transfer sum the German club demanded.
The Nerazzurri offered €20m plus €5m in add-ons, way below Thuram’s €45m release clause. It is understood that the Italian champions are still unwavering on the financial front. Gladbach’s fee demands along with the Frenchman’s recurrent knee issues might just put Inter off once again, as he continues his poor scoring form of just one goal in 18 appearances this season.
However, nothing is concrete at the moment, also considering the fact that Sassuolo marksman Gianluca Scamacca is the club’s main target to bolster the frontline.
All three main strikers at the club – Dzeko, Sanchez and Martinez – face uncertain futures, and especially Martinez, who only recently penned a contract extension deal until 2026. Clubs interested to lure him away will need to shell quite a handsome amount of money, given his transfermarkt value of €80m.
The 24-year-old has scored 12 goals and registered 2 assists in 35 games this season – statistics that clearly do not live up to his reputation. He has not scored a single goal from open play since December 17, against Salernitana – a tota time span of 403 minutes.
Premier League giants Liverpool are reportedly interested too, but it is City and Atletico who firmly have sights set on their next target.