Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move for Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez during the summer and they might have already submitted an offer – as per reports.
Lautaro Martinez joined Inter Milan from Argentinian side Racing Club in 2018 and this season the 22-year-old has been in stellar form for the Serie A side.
In 22 games, he has already managed to net 11 goals in the league meaning Antonio Conte has no intentions of letting him leave at the end of this season.
But that wish might not come true for the Inter manager since Lautaro Martinez has a release clause of £102 million which a number of clubs are willing to pay – including Chelsea.
The Blues already have Tammy Abraham amongst their ranks but Frank Lampard is now eager to add a top-class striker to his ranks after having failed to bring in any new players in the past two transfer windows.
This release clause is valid for the first 15 days of July meaning the Blues will have to move quickly in order to sign the Argentinian.
But some experts believe that despite their urge to splash so much of money, Chelsea might eventually miss out on Lautaro Martinez.
It’s being claimed that FC Barcelona are also interested in the player and are viewing him as a long-term replacement to Luis Suarez.
And while they too will have to pay the massive release clause but some rumours are claiming that the Catalans are ready to offer Lautaro Martinez a contract worth €10 million per season.
If this report holds true then it’s massive news for Chelsea since they surely will have to think twice before they can think of even matching that salary.
So as things stand, Chelsea might have to watch Lautaro Martinez move to Spain in the summer since any player in today’s game will be eager to gather such a fat paycheck.
Update(3rd April 2020):
According to some reports, Chelsea might come close to matching Barcelona’s offer since they are ready to pay around £8.7 million per year in the form of salary.
