Barcelona target Lautaro Martinez REJECTED an offer from Real Madrid at 18 years old… as Inter Milan striker ‘wanted to succeed at home club Racing before leaving Argentina’
- Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez rejected an offer from Real Madrid at 18
- Martinez wanted to stay at his home club Racing to ‘succeed before leaving’
- The striker is now a prime transfer target for Barcelona, Madrid’s biggest rivals
Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez rejected an offer from Real Madrid when he was 18 years old.
Martinez broke into senior football at Racing Club in 2015 and after just a few months had caught the eye of Real Madrid. Racing were offered a loan deal with an option to buy for the Argentine, who had just turned 18 years old.
The president of Racing Club, Victor Blanco, who had a good relationship with Martinez revealed that he rejected the Spanish giants as a teenager.
Inter striker Lautaro Martinez rejected an offer from Real Madrid at 18 to stay at Racing Club
Martinez wanted to stay in Argentina to ‘succeed at Racing’ before leaving for Europe
‘They came looking for him from Real Madrid and offered a loan with a significant purchase option,’ Blanco told Mundo Deportivo.
‘However, he rejected that possibility because he wanted to succeed in Racing before going outside. And he stayed. It did not cloud. He was very clear about his goals.’
Martinez joined Inter Milan in 2018 and has a £98million release clause in his contract
Martinez later joined Serie A side Inter Milan in 2018 for a fee of around 22million euros.
The 22-year-old has since improved drastically under Antonio Conte’s management and has scored 11 goals in 22 league matches this season. He has a £98million release clause inserted into his current contract.
The striker is now a prime target for Barcelona, who are planning a sensational double swoop for him and PSG winger Neymar.
