Arsenal and Tottenham have been handed a huge blow in their attempts to sign Lautaro Martinez with the Argentine striker set to sign a new contract at Inter Milan.
Both north London clubs were linked with a move for the forward in the summer transfer window as they attempted to bolster their respective forward lines.
Spurs were on the hunt for a new striker regardless of the future of Harry Kane. football.london understands that a fee was even agreed with Martinez’s current employers Inter Milan but a move collapsed with Chelsea having already purchased Romelu Lukaku from the Italian giants.
Meanwhile, Arsenal were looking to bounce back from another hugely disappointing campaign in the Premier League amid questions over the futures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.
Those questions are still present and although it remains to be seen whether the two north London rivals are still interested in Martinez, any move now seems academic with the striker having made a major decision over his future.
CEO of Inter Milan, Beppe Marotta, has suggested that a new contract is close to being announced.
Talking to Gazzetta dello Sport, he said: “We are going to announce his extension within ten days, he is the future of Inter and we want to keep him at the club.”
It is further suggested that any new deal for Martinez would be the duration of five years, meaning it would be highly unlikely that Spurs and Arsenal - or any interested party for that matter - would be able to prise him out of the San Siro any time soon.
So far, the 24-year-old has made 140 outings for the club since joining from Argentine outfit Racing Club in 2018. He has gone on to score 54 goals in all competitions and was a key part behind Inter’s Serie A success under Antonio Conte.
