Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta has left the door ajar for Manchester United to sign Lautaro Martinez in January.
United are in a battle with rivals Manchester City , Barcelona and Real Madrid to attract striker Martinez to Old Trafford.
The 22-year-old Argentine has scored eight goals in 15 appearances as he has formed a formidable partnership with Romelu Lukaku at the San Siro.
According to Calciomercato Martinez has a release clause of €111m (around £95m), although that only becomes valid for United and clubs outside of Italy next July.
Therefore, any of the potential main suitors would have to pay a premium in January - probably of around £100m.
And Marotta has admitted that he will not stand in the way of Martinez leaving, if he wanted to, when the transfer window reopens next month.
"If Lautaro wants to leave we will evaluate the situation," Marotta told Italian outlet Sports Mediaset .
"We are Inter and we don't necessarily have to sell to anyone. We want to grow up with important young players like Lautaro and Romelu Lukaku.
"If Lautaro wants to continue with us, we will be happy. He is with us right now."
Martinez moved to Inter from Racing Club in the summer of 2018 for €22.7m and became an almost instant hero when he scored against bitter rivals AC Milan last season.
He has also been a impressive presence for Argentina - having netted nine times in 17 outings for his country, including a hat-trick against Mexico in September.
Inter vice-president Javier Zanetti said recently: "Lautaro is only 22-years-old and has exploded with a very high return in a short time. In signing him we made an investment that will pay off in the future.
"Barcelona are interested? We want him stay with us. He’s only 22-years-old, I hope he stays here for a while."
