Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United suffer transfer blow for Inter Milan ace Lautaro Martinez as Arsenal renew interest in the striker
According to The Times (Subscription Required), Arsenal have renewed their interest in Inter Milan ace Lautaro Martinez in the summer as they edge closer to Champions League qualification, providing a transfer blow to Manchester United.
Martinez has picked up where he left off last season, leading the line effectively for the Serie A club as they continue to chase a second successive league title. The striker’s goals were a big factor in why the Italian side won the Scudetto last term.
His performances on the pitch have attracted attention from the Premier League, where Arsenal and United are keen on signing the forward in the upcoming summer transfer window as they look to add attacking reinforcements to their squad.
The 24-year-old wants to join a club that will be playing in the Champions League next season, which augurs well for the Gunners. They currently sit in fourth place in the Premier League table and have played two games fewer than the Red Devils, who occupy sixth place and are five points away.
Arteta looking for new strikers
Manager Mikel Arteta is planning on recruiting two strikers at the end of the season to beef up his forward line, and has renewed Arsenal’s interest in signing Martínez this summer. The Spanish boss has also included Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus and Everton ace Dominic Calvert-Lewin in his wishlist of attackers.
However, any move for the Argentina international is expected to cost around £60-70m. Arteta will also face competition from Atletico Madrid and United for the striker’s signature, given that the Red Devils have already offered Inter a part-swap deal involving Anthony Martial.
With the player wanting to play UCL football next term and clubs such as Arsenal and Atletico interested in Martinez, United seem like they may be fighting a losing battle to convince the Argentine to swap Milan for Manchester.
We look more likely to qualify for the Europa League given their league standing, and this could prove detrimental to their hopes of landing a quality striker like Martinez in the summer. The club have been overly reliant on Cristiano Ronaldo this season, and so reinforcements are needed to support him.
However, the Red Devils are also undergoing a sea of change at the end of the campaign, bringing in Erik ten Hag from Ajax Amsterdam to become their new permanent manager and change the club’s fortunes around. The Dutchman comes to Old Trafford with an impressive CV and a knack for winning silverware, which could be an interesting proposition to lure Martinez away from Italy.
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With Ronaldo turning 38 next year, a younger replacement is needed at United. Although UCL football may not be guaranteed, fans would hope that the premise of being the main attacking force of a new-look team of one of the world’s biggest clubs can nudge Lautaro in the direction of joining us in the near future.
With Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford’s recent form, it can’t be denied that United could use a lethal striker who primarily plays down the middle. Meanwhile, Mason Greenwood remains suspended while Anthony Elanga has found a nice little niche for himself down our left flank.
