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Barcelona are preparing a final offer for Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez, that is set to be submitted to the Italian club this week.
According to Goal, the Blaugrana are prepared to "test Inter's resolve" one more time, as they look to sign a replacement for their Uruguayan star Luis Suarez, who is set to leave the club this summer.
Barcelona club President Josep Maria Bartomeu has mentioned in past that Martinez could be a challenging signing for the club, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in financial losses. In light of those losses, it was earlier said that Barcelona could not muster up the €90m that Inter Milan are said to want for the Argentine striker.
Ronald Koeman is still said to be keen on signing his countryman Memphis Depay from Lyon, but Martinez remains the prime target for Barcelona
But the Barca club President, in a interview to BeIN last month, said that he would initiate contact with Inter Milan at the end of their UEFA Champions League campaign, which ended in embarrassment for Barcelona. The Catalans were beaten 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the quarterfinal, and that has led to huge ramifications at Barcelona.
Barcelona to make last attempt to sign Lautaro Martinez
Since Barcelona lost Brazilian superstar Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, they have bought Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann in deals that each exceeded €100m. None of them really hit it off at Barcelona, and now Koeman has a task on his hands to ensure that the team's dependence on Lionel Messi is reduced.
Messi himself is not really in the best state of mind, after reluctantly agreeing to stay at Barcelona for another season, despite having some strong words to say against the Barcelona board and especially Bartomeu.
With Suarez reportedly having agreed a three-year deal with Juventus, Barcelona need one more goalscorer to ensure that someone can complement what Messi provides to the team.
In addition to Suarez, Barcelona also want to sell Arturo Vidal, with Ivan Rakitic already having left the club to join Sevilla. Vidal is attracting interest from Inter Milan themselves, with Antonio Conte said to be eager to reunite with the Chilean, with whom he worked at Juventus.
Whether Vidal is added as a makeweight in any Barcelona bid for Martinez remains to be seen, with one last attempt set to be made this week.
