‘Rumours were true’: Lautaro Martinez confirms Barcelona interest

Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez has confirmed that Barcelona made contact with his representatives during the last transfer window, but the Argentine striker made it clear that he had no intention of leaving the Italian giants.

Martinez was reportedly among Barcelona’s options after the Catalan club’s pursuit of Julian Alvarez stalled. However, despite interest from one of Europe’s biggest clubs, the Inter star chose to remain in Italy.

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“The rumours were true,” Martinez told Sky Italia.

“When these offers and calls come in, it’s always a pleasure because you work to stay at the top. But I’m very clear about my intentions: I wanted to stay here with my teammates and with these magnificent fans.”

The 29-year-old has established himself as one of Inter’s most important players and has developed a strong bond with the club and its supporters.

Martinez even suggested he would be happy to spend the rest of his career at Inter.

“I would stay forever, and as long as they want me, I’ll stay here,” he said.

I would stay forever, and as long as they want me, I’ll stay here. But we all know how it is in this business: when you’re no longer useful, they let you go. Inter means everything to me — pride, happiness and the desire to keep going. I’ve chosen to stay here again; I want to achieve great things at Inter.

Lautaro Martinez

“But we all know how it is in this business: when you’re no longer useful, they let you go.

“Inter means everything to me — pride, happiness and the desire to keep going. I’ve chosen to stay here again; I want to achieve great things at Inter.”

Martinez enjoyed another impressive season, scoring 22 goals across all competitions and helping Inter win the Scudetto.

The Argentine forward also remains an important figure for his national team, adding to his growing reputation at the highest level of the game.

Reflecting on his career at Inter, Martinez admitted he never imagined reaching such heights with the club.

“I never imagined reaching this point in my career with Inter, achieving all my goals,” he said.

“This motivates me to keep going; it’s my mentality. I try to give my all in every training session.

“In football, you never know what’s going to happen, but today I have a contract and I’m happy. I decided to stay because I feel good and I want to do great things at Inter.”

With Martinez contracted to Inter until 2029, Barcelona’s interest has failed to tempt the club captain away from San Siro.