In the last couple of years, Lautaro Martinez has developed into one of the best strikers in world football. The 26-year-old has been in prolific form for Inter Milan, and also helped Argentina win the World Cup last year.
On the club front, things could have been so different for Lautaro. Inter Milan director Piero Ausilio has revealed that just prior to him signing for the Nerazzurri in 2018, he was very close to joining Atletico Madrid, who had an agreement in place with Racing Club.
“I can reveal that Lautaro Martínez was already a new Atletico Madrid player in 2018. There was just a small clause missing between Racing Club and Atletico.
“Both Javier Zanetti and Diego Milito both helped up. I decided to fly to Argentina and we ended up hijacking the deal.”
🇦🇷 Inter director Ausilio: “I can reveal that Lautaro Martínez was already new Atlético Madrid player in 2018”.
“There was just a small clause missing between Racing and Atléti. Both Zanetti and Milito both helped us… I decided to fly to Argentina and we hijacked the deal”. pic.twitter.com/KtfXvquhGw
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 1, 2023
Atletico Madrid would have been disappointed to have missed out on Lautaro, especially given how he has developed over the years. However, they do have Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata already, and the pair have been in sensational form so far this season.
