Inter schedule contract talks with Lautaro Martinez
By Tom Gott
Inter will meet with the agents of forward Lautaro Martinez next week to begin negotiations over a new contract.
The 23-year-old has entered the final two years of his contract at San Siro and has started attracting interest from a handful of English sides.
Arsenal were among the first to express an interest in Martinez, before Tottenham swooped in and agreed a fee with Inter, although that came before Chelsea flew through negotiations over signing Romelu Lukaku.
With the Belgian in London to seal his £97.5m return to Stamford Bridge, Inter have made it clear to Martinez that he will not be sold in the same window, and Fabrizio Romano notes that talks have already been scheduled to discuss an extension.
Inter want to tie Martinez down to a new contract which would run until 2026, and according to the player's agent, he would be keen to put pen to paper.
"Martinez is not leaving Inter despite offers from England," agent Alejandro Camano told Cesar Luis Merlo. "He is happy there and loves the club.
"Next week, I will meet with Inter to talk about a renewal. Our will is clear, but it will also depend on them."
Despite Camano's public stance, 90min understands that Martinez would be open to a switch to England and still believes a transfer could be possible as a result of Inter's poor financial situation.
Inter remain adamant that they will not lose both Lukaku and Martinez in the same window and they are keen to sit down with the Argentina international to thrash out a deal and bring an end to years of speculation about his future.
Martinez had been expected to join Barcelona in the summer of 2020, only for the COVID-19 outbreak to force La Blaugrana to pull out of talks.