Barcelona end Lautaro Martínez pursuit after Inter declare captain not for sale

Barcelona respected Inter’s decision

Barcelona sporting director Deco has explained why the club ended its pursuit of Lautaro Martínez after exploring the possibility of signing the Inter Milan captain.

Martínez was considered during Barcelona’s search for attacking reinforcements, with the club assessing options to help replace the departing Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. However, the discussions never progressed beyond an exploratory stage.

According to quotes attributed to Deco and cited by Fabrizio Romano, Inter made their position clear: Martínez was not available for transfer. Barcelona then chose not to push further.

“Lautaro is a symbol of Inter, and we have tremendous respect for that. For me, he’s a fantastic, exceptional player,” Deco said.

“When Inter let us know they weren’t willing to negotiate, we stopped pushing and didn’t discuss it further.”

No contact with Martínez or his agent

Deco also said Barcelona never contacted Martínez or his representative, despite the Argentine being among the forwards the club admired. He stressed that the club wanted to conduct the process transparently and respect Inter’s decision.

“When our president spoke with Inter’s leadership, and they clearly told him the player wasn’t for sale, we respected their decision and didn’t bring it up again,” Deco said.

Barcelona ultimately turned to Gabriel Jesus, completing a cut-price deal with Arsenal rather than continuing its efforts to sign Inter’s captain.

“He’s an icon, a legend of Inter, and even today, he’s their captain,” Deco added. “Personally, I’m a big fan of Lautaro.”