Barca put Lautaro talks on hold

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has confirmed that the talks to sign Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan have been put on hold for the time being, as relayed by AS.

The Argentinian has been heavily linked with a move to the Camp Nou this summer, where he is seen as the perfect candidate for the long-term successor to Luis Suarez, something that the Catalan club have been trying to identify for a long time. However, Inter have refused to accept anything less than the striker’s release clause of €111 million, and the financial implications of the Covid-19 pandemic have made any such deal extremely difficult.

Bartomeu admits that all big clubs will be limited in their transfer activities this summer, and as for Barcelona, they are now in a phase where they are still assessing the potential extent of the financial damage caused by the situation. They spoke to Inter about Lautaro, but at the moment, the talks have been shelved.