Arsenal are reportedly willing to offer Lautaro Martinez a contract worth £275,000-a-week in order to beat Tottenham to his signature.
According to a report by Eurosport, Arsenal are prepared to offer a bumper contract to Lautaro Martinez, but are yet to initiate talks with Inter Milan. Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in signing the 23-year-old Argentine international in the summer transfer window.
Lautaro Martinez joined Inter Milan from Racing Club in the summer of 2018 and has since grown exponentially at San Siro. Now widely regarded as one of the best forwards on show in Europe, the young Argentine has especially impressed as part of a formidable strike partnership alongside Romelu Lukaku over the last couple of seasons.
To date, the 23-year-old has turned out 132 times for Inter while managing a return of 49 goals and 20 assists along the way. This summer, he has also been a part of the victorious Argentine national side at the Copa America, which has only boosted his stature further. Therefore, it is not hard to see why two of the biggest Premier League clubs – Arsenal and Tottenham – are keen on signing him.
The interest from Arsenal came out of nowhere, although it does make sense, seeing as Alexandre Lacazette is eager to embark on a new challenge this summer amid links with Atletico Madrid, AS Roma and even Barcelona. With Eddie Nketiah deemed to be surplus to requirements, it is not hard to see why Arsenal want to sign a striker despite the presence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
To that end, Martinez is a viable target for the Gunners, who have already discussed personal terms with him over a summer move. In fact, Arsenal are even ready to offer him a lucrative £275,000-a-week contract. However, they face stiff competition from local rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
There have recently been claims that Tottenham have already agreed a club record £60 million deal with Inter Milan for the Argentine international. However, those suggestions appear to be wide of the mark, although the interest from Spurs is genuine, as they seek to add a second world class striker to Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad apart from talisman Harry Kane.
However, as per Eurosport, Inter Milan’s steep valuation could price Tottenham out of the running for Martinez, although it is unclear whether Arsenal would be prepared to shell out the required sum. For now, what is clear is that Arsenal are ready to offer bumper terms to Martinez, and it will be interesting to see if they can make any headway in pursuit of the 23-year-old during talks with Inter.
Having said that, it seems to be highly unlikely that the Nerazzurri will be open to the prospect of selling both their star strikers in the same transfer window, amid Romelu Lukaku’s impending Chelsea switch. Nevertheless, Arsenal will hope their £275,000-a-week contract offer can turn Martinez’s head and help them beat Tottenham to his signature.