Inter have reduced their asking price for Lautaro Martinez to €90m, with Barcelona in hot pursuit of the Argentine striker.
Martinez is one of Barcelona’s biggest summer targets, and stands as a long-term replacement for Luis Suarez at the Camp Nou.
The forward was previously available if his €111m release clause was met, but that expired on 7 July.
Martinez is a long-term target of Barcelona / Marco Luzani / Getty Images
The expiry of the release clause means a replacement fee for Martinez can now be accepted, and according to Italian news outlet Corriere della Sera, Inter have reduced the 22-year-old’s asking price to around €21m. have done.
However, due to the financial uncertainty caused by the coronavirus, this number may still be outside of Barcelona’s budget.
The Catalan giants recently sold Arthur to Inter’s Serie A rivals Juventus for €72m, but with Miralem Pejanic heading in the opposite direction, Barcelona only made a €10m profit from the deal.
The club arranged the Arthur-Pjanic deal as a short-term solution to their current financial woes after years of wage mismanagement.
Arthur’s Barcelona sale reveals financial struggles at club / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
Barcelona are desperately trying to offload Philippe Coutinho, who has spent the last two seasons on loan following his £105m move from Liverpool, and whether they can afford a move for Martinez depends on May be on success in finding a buyer for Brazil. .
The club are looking into another potential transfer deal to secure Martinez’s signature, with Arturo Vidal and Nelson Semedo both linked with moves to Inter.
Martinez has scored 17 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions for Antonio Conte’s side this season, but has struggled since returning to Serie A in June.
The striker has only found the back of the net once since returning to the Italian top flight, and is without a goal in his last five appearances after missing a penalty in Inter’s recent defeat to Bologna.