Former Racing Club manager Fabio Radaelli has said that Lautaro Martinez should make the switch to Barcelona to work with the world-class Lionel Messi. The Argentine is currently in his second season with Inter Milan following the move from Racing and he has been in good form with 16 goals and four assists from 31 appearances.
Speaking to Toda Pasion, Radaelli was pleased with Martinez’s progress with the Nerazzurri but believes he could find it hard to turn down a move to the Spanish champions, he told: “I believe that those of such quality can play anywhere. Lautaro is a player for the big leagues.I liked it when he went to Inter, I felt that he was going to an ideal place because there is Javier Zanetti, who works very well, I know him and I know the human quality he has because we were partners at Banfield. With him, Lautaro was going to feel content but the truth is that when one is linked with Barcelona, a club related purely and exclusively to Messi, a player from another planet, it seems that one forces themselves to go there.”
The La Liga holders are looking to find a long-term successor to Luis Suarez, who has struggled with injuries and Martinez has been identified as the prime target. At present, they are facing the difficulty of triggering the player’s £102m release clause due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and reports claim that they could propose a part-exchange deal.
Arturo Vidal and Rafinha are among the players on the Nerazzurri radar and they could be included as makeweights to partly reduce the price tag for Martinez. Martinez has remained quiet about the speculation but agent Sergio Zarate has suggested that there is a ‘very big chance’ of the marksman making the move to the Camp Nou this summer.