Chelsea have been told they can end their long-awaited search for a clinical No.9 by signing Lautaro Martinez this month.
The Blues splashed out £100 million on Martinez's partner from Inter Milan's last Scudetto win in 2021, Romelu Lukaku, when Thomas Tuchel thought he had the missing jigsaw piece for his puzzle that summer. The Belgian is now on loan at Roma, however, having gone back to the San Siro on loan in between.
Now, Inter have indicated that Martinez is for sale for the right price, too, with Chelsea still struggling for goals a whole two-and-a-half years later, having signed the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Jackson in the interim.
Transfer insider Dean Jones has written for SportsLens that World Cup-winning forward Martinez is a target for the west Londoners – and that a Premier League move would appeal to him.
Over the 26-year-old has previously been linked with a host of English sides, primarily Arsenal and Tottenham, with the Nerazzurri reticent to consider offers. Jones claims that a bid of between £80 and £100 million would be enough to turn heads, however, though he admits that even that may not be enough to prevent Martinez from signing a new deal in Lombardy.
"Insiders have told SportsLens that while the terms of a new contract with Inter are not complete, it is likely he commits his future to the Italian giants," he says, "But a January bid would throw such a moment into fresh uncertainty. Inter are suffering tricky financial times and have a tendency to cash in on high profile players to improve their situation."
The likelihood of Martinez leaving Inter isn't currently high but that could all change in the coming weeks. Chelsea have been known to act quickly on transfers and though there isn't an obvious desire for the Argentine right now, plans could be made depending on Victor Osimhen's chances of going to Stamford Bridge.
Martinez is valued at €110m by Transfermarkt.
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