Arsenal eye £60m striker who almost joined Tottenham – but Man City also like player
Arteta on red card record
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Arsenal are reportedly eyeing a move for Inter Milan goal-machine Lautaro Martinez. The Argentine came close to joining north London rivals Tottenham last summer, and the Gunners could face even more competition if they are serious about acquiring his services, with Manchester City also believed to be keen.
Having missed out on Dusan Vlahovic, among other targets, the January transfer window was hugely disappointing for Arsenal.
With a starting-quality striker high on Mikel Arteta’s priority list, fans were also left dejected at the lack of a late move for the likes of Alexander Isak or Raul de Tomas.
The Gunners’ attacking situation was made even worse when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Barcelona for free after his contract was terminated – a decision taken by Arteta himself after a public spat.
Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette are all that remain to fire Arsenal towards a top-four finish this term, although both could leave for free at the end of the season as their contracts wind down.
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All told, a major attacking reshuffle is virtually guaranteed during the summer, and reports indicate that transfer chief Edu already has his eye out for potential recruits.
According to Calciomercato, the Gunners are in the mix to secure Martinez’s signature amid claims that the 24-year-old ‘could leave’ Inter in June.
But as Arsenal found out with Vlahovic, the pursuit of a highly-rated striker seldom runs smoothly.
Tottenham made significant headway with Martinez last summer, reportedly agreeing a £60million fee.
But the deal fell flat when the striker’s partner in crime, Romelu Lukaku, sealed his return to Chelsea.
That left Inter with little choice but to stand firm on the other half of their formidable partnership, and Martinez has continued to pile in the goals at San Siro this term.
It remains to be seen whether the Lilywhites will reignite their interest at the end of the season, as boss Antonio Conte has already expressed concern about his squad’s ability to compete.
Even if Arsenal manage to fend off interest from their local rivals, Man City could also throw their hats into the ring if they finally recruit a senior striker at the end of the season.
An ambitious move for Erling Haaland looks to be on the cards for Pep Guardiola’s side, but with a host of other European giants sure to try their luck too, Martinez could be one of the first names on their back-up list.
After a relatively slow debut season with Inter, the frontman hit 14 league goals in his second campaign, and he has not looked back since.
Martinez and Lukaku fired Inter to an impressive Serie A title in 2020/21, with the former chipping in with his fair share of their 41-goal partnership.
And ‘El Toro’ has shown no signs of slowing down in the Belgian’s absence, having bagged 11 in the league already this season as Inter remain in the mix to retain their league crown.
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