Barcelona face Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-finals soon, and they will have to contend with Lautaro Martinez – who is the Nerazzurri’s star striker. But had things been difficult, he could have been wearing the Blaugrana jersey during the upcoming tie.
Back in 2020, Barcelona were on the lookout for a new striker, having deemed that Luis Suarez was no longer good enough to be the starting number nine. And it was Lautaro that sporting director Ramon Planes settled on as the club’s best option to replace the Uruguayan international.
And as per Sport, it was a deal that looked to be heading towards completion. Inter were begrudgingly willing to part ways with Lautaro, but only if his €110m release clause was activated. And that is exactly what Barcelona did, but they only did so because the Italians agreed to sign one of Nelson Semedo or Junior Firpo for €35m.
Lautaro, who also came close to signing for Atletico Madrid two years prior to this episode, was very keen to join Barcelona as it was his desire to play alongside international teammate Lionel Messi. But just as everything was agreed, a deal fell through as the COVID-19 pandemic stripped away the finances that the Catalan club were preparing to use for the deal with Inter.
12 months after that deal collapsed, Lautaro signed a new contract with Inter that removed the release clause, and that has meant that no one has been able to prise him away from the San Siro. Barcelona will be desperately hoping that this failed expedition does not come back to haunt them five years later in the Champions League semi-finals, as they prepare to go up against the 27-year-old and his teammates.
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