Barcelona to battle Manchester United for star Argentine striker

Spanish La Liga champions FC Barcelona have reportedly joined Manchester United in the race for £100 million-rated Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez. 

The Blaugrana were dealt a major blow in their race for the La Liga title after their star striker Luis Suarez suffered a knee injury that could sideline him for the next four months. 

Despite having the trio of Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele at their disposal, newly-appointed Barcelona manager Quique Setien is reportedly looking for a new proven goalscorer. 

As per reports in Spain, the Catalan giants are preparing to bid £100 million for Lautaro Martinez to replace injured Suarez. 

The Blaugrana are in the hunt for a striker to succeed Suarez in the long run anyway. Martinez is a player who has been linked with a move to Camp Nou for quite some time now. 

Martinez boasts a similar style of play to that of Suarez. The striker has made a strong impression for himself at Inter since he moved to the Italian club back in 2018 from Argentine giants Racing Club. 

The Argentine has hit 15 goals in 25 games this season and has been a mainstay in Antonio Conte's starting XI. It would be shocking to see Inter losing their star attacker in the middle of the season when they are fighting Juventus for the Scudetto. 

It is understood that Manchester United have also been keeping tabs on the 22-year-old. They also are in the search for a proven number nine having missed out on Erling Haaland this month. 

The Norwegian wonderkid opted for a move to Borussia Dortmund despite being linked with a move to Old Trafford for months as the Red Devils had to shift their focus elsewhere. 

Barcelona will move for Martinez this month with Antonio Conte close to linking up with Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud. However, it is believed that Giroud is not being signed as a replacement of the Argentine. 

The Spanish giants were thought to be looking at Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as their top priority this window. However, it seems that Martinez is their number one target at the moment ahead of the Arsenal skipper.

Featured Image Credits - The Daily Mail