It’s well known that Barcelona is still pining for Julian Alvarez. But with the Argentine forward ultimately out of reach, the Catalan club reportedly had more than one backup plan. According to Spanish media reports, the Spanish giants had also considered Alvarez’s Argentina teammate, Lautaro Martinez.
Speaking to the media for the first time since the transfer window closed, Lautaro Martinez addressed the swirling rumors while appearing at the “Gran Gala del Calcio” event, speaking to Sky Italia. After Barcelona’s potential deal for Julian Alvarez fell through, transfer speculation linking Martinez to the club spread widely — and the Inter Milan captain did not shy away from discussing it openly.
Addressing the rumors directly, Martinez said: “Honestly, it feels good when offers like that come in, because staying at the top level is exactly what we work hard for day and night. The rumors weren’t false, but my thinking was clear from the start — I wanted to stay with my Inter teammates and our incredible fans. I’ll stay here as long as the club wants me; I wouldn’t mind staying my whole life.”
Martinez also acknowledged the harsher realities of professional football: “But we all know the brutal truth of this profession — when you’re no longer useful to someone, you get thrown away. Inter is everything to me — my pride, my joy and my main motivation to keep moving forward. That’s why I’ve decided to stay here again, and I want to achieve something great for Inter.”
The 29-year-old Martinez arrived with the experience of finishing runner-up at the World Cup with Argentina. As captain, he has since added another Scudetto to Inter’s trophy cabinet. Last season, he scored 22 goals across all competitions.
Explaining his reasons for staying, the Inter star added: “I’ve decided to stay here because I feel very comfortable here, and I want to achieve great success with Inter.”
Martinez joined Inter Milan in 2018 and has enjoyed considerable success with the club. In 378 appearances for the Italian giants, he has scored 175 goals and won nine trophies in total, including three league titles.
Martinez said he never imagined he would achieve this much success at Inter Milan. The World Cup-winning Argentine forward said: “I never imagined my career would reach this stage at Inter, or that all my dreams would come true here. But this success motivates me to keep pushing forward — that’s been my mindset from the start. I try to give my best in every training session. It’s impossible to say what the future holds in football, but I’m very happy with my current contract. I’m doing well here, and I want to achieve even bigger things with Inter, which is why I’ve decided to stay.”
Martinez is contracted to Inter Milan until June 2029. Inter’s management has also already made clear that they are not willing to let go of their captain at any price.