Deco confirms Barcelona explored summer move for Inter Milan superstar: ‘He was a player we liked’

Deco confirms Barcelona explored summer move for Inter Milan superstar: ‘He was a player we liked’ Speaking to the media at the annual Portugal Football Summit, FC Barcelona sporting director Deco revealed that the club explored the possibility of signing Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan in the summer. The Blaugrana were intent on roping in a new centre-forward after having parted ways with both Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. Julian Alvarez was the priority target for the La Liga champions, but Atletico Madrid’s refusal to sell the Argentine forced Barça to explore alternatives. Lautaro’s name, therefore, emerged as an option , and now Deco has gone on record confirming that talks were held about a potential move for the 2022 World Cup winner. Barcelona tried, Inter said no During his media interaction, Deco revealed that Barcelona had made an approach to Inter Milan for Lautaro, but quickly backed out after they were told that the Argentine was not for sale. “I think, first of all, Lautaro is an Inter icon, so we have a lot of respect for that,” Deco started, praising the player. “He’s a fantastic player, a spectacular player, an Inter icon and the captain, and out of respect for the player and the club, the moment the club told us he wasn’t available, we didn’t try to contact him again.” Barcelona held an interest in Lautaro. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) Continuing, the Barcelona director emphasised that the club always approaches situations like these with respect for clubs and complete transparency. “We try to do things in a very proper and transparent way. Sometimes there’s no speculation in the press, but it’s true that at one point, of the strikers we were looking for, who we thought could be good players for Barça, Lautaro was one of them.” Continuing, he added: “But the moment my president spoke with the Inter presidents and they said he wasn’t for sale, out of respect, we never spoke again, we never contacted the player or his agent again. “But it’s also true that he was a player we liked and who we love, and I personally like him a lot.” Inter Milan made it clear that Lautaro was not for sale. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) Not missing a top striker With neither Alvarez nor Lautaro arriving, Barcelona decided to put their faith in Raphinha as an option for the No. 9, and so far the move has worked a treat. The Brazilian international has excelled in his new role as he sits at the top of the La Liga scoring charts, while also bagging a couple of goals in the UEFA Champions League. On top of that, Barça also brought in Gabriel Jesus as a low-cost alternative from Arsenal, and the Brazilian has already hit the ground running, scoring two goals.