Lautaro Martinez Next Club Odds - 03/04/20

Many of Europe’s elite are reportedly eyeing up a move for Inter Milan star striker Lautaro Martinez. The Argentinian marksman has hit 11 goals and recorded three assists in the 22 appearances he’s made in the Serie A for Inter this season, putting the 22-year old on the wish list for some of the biggest clubs around the world.

Martinez also managed to find the net five times in six Champions League appearances this season, with strikes against Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and a brace against Slavia Prague. The Nerazzurri have dropped into the Europa League, however, following a third-place group stage finish in Europe, whilst also finding themselves third in Serie A – nine points off leaders Juventus.

Reports suggest Inter’s number 10 has a staggering £101million release clause on his current contract that runs until 2023. The Italian giants will be powerless if a club activates it, but will likely not want to settle for much less in order to keep Martinez.

Here, we looked at the odds from Paddy Power, to see which European giants are in pole position to land the highly sought-after starlet at. As things stand, it looks as though it might be the two titans from Spain battling for his signature.

Chelsea are seemingly in the market for a new striker after being linked with a variety of star names in this position. Indeed, Tammy Abraham has had a positive start to life with the first-team, scoring 13 Premier League goals this season.

However, despite a clear bright future ahead, the 22-year-old is not quick bringing in the numbers of the elite strikers out there, with a record of 15 goals in 34 appearances this campaign. Previous Chelsea strikers of the past have surpassed the 20 goal mark, which has ultimately led them to trophy after trophy, such as Didier Drogba and Diego Costa.

Whilst Abraham may eventually reach these heights, Martinez might be the man to get them there in the meantime and for the future. In truth, Costa has not been replaced completely since he rejoined Atletico Madrid in 2017 and the current Inter star could be that man.

Chelsea have reportedly bid a 'very high offer' for Martinez this past week which makes them the first club to make keen movements for his signature. Indeed, it does seem this one could get over the line and a 2/1 price with Paddy Power is definitely worth considering.

With a 5/2 price, Barcelona are the front runners and favourites to land Lautaro Martinez. The Catalan club have been rumoured to be after a centre forward for a while, as they look to replace an ageing Luis Suarez – the Uruguayan's knee surgery has severely limited his appearances this season.

Denmark and former Middlesbrough attacker Martin Braithwaite was controversially brought in from Leganes in February, but he has mostly been deployed on the wings following an injury to Ousmane Dembele. Martinez could be an ideal candidate to come in and form a mouth-watering trio with Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi.

The Inter star has already worked with the Barcelona all-time scorer with the Argentina national team, and he surely wouldn’t need time to settle and form a stellar partnership with his compatriot.

Messi is also an admirer of his countryman and has fanned the flames for speculation of his Nou Camp move.

Alberto Yaque – Martinez’s agent – has been reported commenting on potential interest from Barcelona. Yaque has confirmed talk of Barcelona’s interest and has claimed that they like look of the player but have not spoken with him or his representatives.

Could Lautaro be the next big signing for Quique Setién’s Barca?

Real Madrid could also be in the hunt for the man nicknamed ‘The Bull’, with Paddy Power pricing the odds at 7/2 for a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Like their Spanish rivals, Los Blancos are also reportedly searching for a new striker in the market. Madrid are apparently looking for support for Karim Benzema up top, despite signing Luka Jovic for £54million less than 12 months ago.

The Serbian has failed to prove his worth since his arrival at Madrid, scoring just twice in 15 La Liga appearances so far – a far cry from the goalscoring machine he was in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt. Zinedine Zidane may consider loaning out the 22-year old Joivc and replacing him with another 22-year old in Martinez this summer.

The Argentine has revealed that the team from the Spanish capital were interested in him and wanted to speak to him back in 2018 when he was making headlines playing for Racing Club in Argentina. However, it was Inter that won the race for Martinez back then and completed a move worth 25 million euros. Perhaps the next window will be the time when Florentino Perez and Madrid finally get their man.

Understandably so, the goals have dried up heavily for Real Madrid since the departure of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus. As a result, rumours are flying around linking Madrid to top strikers such as Kylian Mbappe and Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, so a move for a striker looks almost certain for Zidane’s men this summer.

Indeed, the signing of Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan could be just what they’re looking for.

By Jordan Edmonds