Inter will not budge on the €111m release clause of striker Lautaro Martinez but may be willing to accept a player-exchange deal from Barcelona, say Gazzetta dello Sport.
A report in Diario Sport last month spoke of the Blaugrana being willing to use Arturo Vidal as a makeweight in the deal for Martinez.
Vidal is said to have a transfer valuation of between €15m and €20m, while the Chilean midfielder has started just 13 matches across all competitions for the Blaugrana despite scoring in six different matches in La Liga to date, and is said to be keen to play more first team football.
The latest report says the Nerazzurri would also be interested in a quartet of players from the Catalan giants – Arthur Melo, Carles Alena (currently on loan at Real Betis), Junior Firpo and Nelson Semedo – to help process the move.
A report in El Mundo Deportivo from February claimed that it was a ‘war’ between Barcelona and their El Clasico rivals Real Madrid for Martinez, who is said to be Barca’s primary transfer target.
It had been thought that Barcelona had led the way in the race for the 22-year-old, whom they had identified as the long-term successor to the ageing Luis Suarez.
The Argentine international has netted 16 goals 31 appearances for the Milanese giants this campaign and has particularly impressed in European competition, scoring five in six outings in the Champions League.
Martinez’s current deal runs to June 2023 and was signed in July 2018, when Inter paid Racing Club a reported €22.7m for his services and he has swiftly established himself as a star in Italy.
