Lautaro Martinez is an ‘incredible talent’ says Shaka Hislop
Lautaro Martinez is a wanted man this summer. Tottenham have reportedly agreed a fee for the Inter Milan star but Arsenal are lurking too. And the player’s stance on a potential move to the Emirates Stadium was recently revealed.
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“Now I had reservations about this from the start because I thought, like most people, why would Lautaro Martinez having just won Serie A and being one of the best young strikers in the world go and join Arsenal?
“So I’ve asked that question. And basically he wants to come to the Premier League, first of all, and he sees Arsenal - if that’s the club - to be a place where he can grow.
“And if he can do well for Arsenal, who knows where that’ll lead to him next?
“At the moment, the reason Arsenal are in pole position for him is because they basically have a free run at him.
“There hasn’t been any contact from other clubs for Lautaro Martinez.
“Personally I think Lautaro Martinez should be playing at Man City or somewhere, he’s so good. But those clubs aren’t in for him at the moment.”
Arsenal could now be tempted to move for Martinez.
Tottenham’s offer will have forced their hand and, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette entering the twilight years of their respective careers, the Gunners’ need for more firepower is obvious.
For Inter, however, the departure of Martinez is yet another blow.
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Lautaro Martinez won Serie A with Inter Milan last season (Image: GETTY)
They’ve already lost Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain, with the right-back moving to the Parc des Princes in a £60m deal.
And Romelu Lukaku is poised to join Chelsea, with the Belgium international returning to Stamford Bridge after a decade away.
Speaking recently, meanwhile, journalist Pete O’Rourke claimed that Arsenal were hoping Hector Bellerin could be the key when it comes to bringing Martinez to the capital.
“There’s serious interest from Arsenal in the Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez,” O’Rourke said.
“He’s off the back of a successful season with Inter, helping them win Serie A, then he’s gone to the Copa America playing alongside Lionel Messi and scoring goals to help Argentina win that tournament.
Lautaro Martinez has been eyed by Arsenal as an upgrade on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lacazette (Image: GETTY)
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“So, very talented striker. We’ve seen him linked with Chelsea and Manchester City in the past but Arsenal have now come to the fore, they seem to be really pushing for this deal to see if there’s any way it can happen.
“His price tag is pretty steep, you’re probably talking about £70million Inter would want to sell the South American.
“That hasn’t deterred Arsenal so far, they’re trying to think of really inventive ways so they can come to an agreement with Inter Milan.
“They think the ace up their sleeve to help do this deal could be Hector Bellerin, who is seemingly surplus to requirements.
“The player is keen to move on after a long time in north London and Mikel Arteta is willing to let him move on as he feels he has enough options at right-back.”