Lautaro Martinez announced that he is going to stay at Inter long-term while the negotiation to extend his contract, which is up in 2023, is ongoing. The Argentinian striker told Libero that his personal plans would not be affected by the potential departure of Antonio Conte.
On the new deal: “I am aware of the difficult situation, we will take stock alongside the management. I do not know if the time is right yet, but we are in talks with ownership. We will eventually reach an agreement. I am very serene and extremely happy to be part of this project. I respect the contracts that I sign. If the club thinks I deserve to earn more, they will give him a call.”
Martinez revealed he was close to moving to Barcelona: “There was a real opportunity to go there last year. However, we finished the season late, COVID influenced the transfer market, and I decided to stay. Looking back, thankfully, it was the correct decision. Lionel Messi and I discussed it during our time together with the national team, but he never insisted too much.” He was instead more recently linked to Real Madrid: “I do not know anything about it. I saw the rumor, but I am enjoying the moment, and I am not thinking about it. We want to finish the season strong.”
El Toro concluded by commenting on Conte: “I never really argue with him, he tries to bring the best out of anybody. He lives football in a special manner. We spoke on the phone after the Copa America, and we were immediately on the same page. He helped me grow a lot, and we made strides in the last two years. I hope he will stay, but, in any case, I will remain an Inter player.”