Inter deliver firm response to Barcelona

Barcelona’s reported interest in Lautaro Martinez has been met with an unequivocal rejection from Inter, with president Beppe Marotta insisting the Argentina international is not available for transfer.

Martinez’s name has resurfaced amid speculation that Barcelona could target the Inter striker as an alternative to Julian Alvarez. However, Marotta said there were no circumstances in which Inter would consider letting their captain leave.

“First of all, Lautaro Martinez is our captain and represents the current history of Inter. So all I can say is that there simply aren’t the conditions in place for him to leave Inter,” Marotta told DAZN.

“We have absolutely no intention of letting him go, in any way, shape or form. It’s not even worth talking about.”

Inter head coach Cristian Chivu has also indicated that Martinez will remain at the club, leaving Barcelona facing the prospect of looking elsewhere for a new No. 9 this summer.

Flick remains calm over striker search

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has played down concerns over the club’s failure to complete a striker signing so far. Flick said he was “not worried” by the situation and suggested that only a small group inside the club knows the exact plan for the position.

“Only Deco, I, and a few other people know exactly what we want,” Flick said.

With Inter publicly ruling out Martinez, Barcelona’s search for attacking reinforcements is likely to continue through the summer transfer window.