Barcelona Keen to Pursue Player-Plus-Cash Deal to Lure Lautaro Martinez From Inter

Barcelona believe they have tackled the first hurdle in trying to lure Lautaro Martinez to Camp Nou, with the player's willingness to move meaning they can proceed with other elements of a deal.

Having been linked with the vast majority of strikers across Europe back in January, Barça's inability to secure a top-level target meant they were forced to settle for an emergency option - coming in the form of Martin Braithwaite from Leganés.

It was a bizarre move - as well as one shrouded in controversy - but only ever intended as a stop-gap while they held on until the summer, when they could move for their priority striker, Martinez. ​Barça's interest in the Inter forward has been a poorly kept secret, with the club scoping out a long-term replacement for 33-year-old ​Luis Suarez.

Tuttosport (via ​Sport) have reported that La Blaugrana have submitted an offer to the player that Inter simply cannot match. A five-year deal (with two additional optional years) that includes wages that amount to roughly €7m-per-year is more than double what the Nerazzurri are offering. It's added in the report that negotiations have been ongoing for months between the player and club, and that his head is leaning towards Catalonia.

If the Serie A side open up to selling, a player-plus-cash deal could well be on the cards. The likes of Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal may be included, with their careers in Spain coming to an end; although, even at this stage, there are is still a way to go before anything is concluded.

​Inter simply can't match the terms on the table from the Catalan giants, with €4m-per-year and added goal incentives all they can muster. At present, Martinez has an exit clause of €111m (£101m), but Inter would prefer to see that figure wiped in the early weeks of July, opening the door for them to command a higher fee.

The owners of the Italian side would ideally like Martinez to openly admit his desire to leave, giving them the chance to net as big a fee as possible for their star striker.

However, Barcelona are confident that they're making inroads. The player's desire to move to ​La Liga was their first task, but now they will proceed to lessen the sum of the transfer by including players in exchange.

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