Barcelona consider using Emerson in Lautaro Martinez pursuit
By Tom Gott
Barcelona are exploring using right back Emerson in a deal to bring Inter forward Lautaro Martinez to Camp Nou this summer.
Martinez has been on Barcelona's radar for well over 12 months and was expected to join last summer, only for the COVID-19 outbreak to bring the deal to a halt.
17 goals, ten assists and a Serie A title later, and Martinez has been linked with Barcelona once again. His agent recently admitted that talks over a new Inter contract had been cancelled, openly flirting with the Spanish side in the process.
Sport continue the narrative by saying Barcelona are again interested in landing Martinez, but the club's well-known financial difficulties mean any deal is incredibly unlikely without offering players in exchange, and that's where Emerson comes in.
The 22-year-old Brazilian, who was recently re-signed from Real Betis for around £8m, enjoyed an excellent campaign last year and was initially expected to play a major role in the first team next year, but club officials now appear to be open to the idea of cashing in on him while his value is high.
Inter have been tracking Emerson, whom they see as a potential replacement for Achraf Hakimi. The Morocco international has been heavily linked with a £60m move to either Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain, and although Inter aren't keen to sell, they do need to make one significant sale to balance the books this summer and could be convinced to offload Hakimi for the right price.
Emerson's agent was spotted in Milan recently and was believed to be meeting with Inter officials to discuss the possibility of a potential transfer this summer.
There's no indication that Emerson wants to leave Barcelona or that the club want him out either, but both sides are thought to be open-minded about the future.
No formal talks have been held yet because the entire situation obviously hinges on Hakimi. Inter value the 22-year-old very highly, with neither PSG nor Chelsea offering up enough money to get a deal done just yet, but talks are ongoing and that could change.
If Inter do lose Hakimi, they want a high-level replacement and see Emerson as the ideal candidate, and bringing him to San Siro in a deal for Martinez could work for everyone involved.