Barcelona president Joan Laporta has finally confirmed just how strongly Barça wanted Lautaro Martínez during the summer transfer window — and the story is even bigger than many fans realised. 😳
After Barcelona’s attempt to sign Julián Álvarez became impossible, the club turned its attention towards Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martínez. Laporta has now revealed that he personally contacted Inter president Beppe Marotta to explore the possibility of bringing the Argentine striker to Camp Nou.
And Laporta didn’t hide his admiration.
He described Lautaro as an “incredible player” and admitted that Barcelona wanted him “at any cost” because they did not want to let the opportunity pass. 🔥
But there was one huge problem.
Inter did not want to sell. ❌
According to Laporta, he contacted Marotta directly rather than going through intermediaries. The response from the Inter chief was clear: Lautaro was not for sale.
Barcelona could have continued pushing, but Laporta explained that he respected Marotta’s position and stopped the pursuit.
That decision effectively ended Barcelona’s attempt to sign the Argentina international.
The revelation also confirms that Lautaro was not simply a name being thrown around by the media. Barcelona genuinely explored the possibility of signing him.
Sporting director Deco had already confirmed that Lautaro was among the forwards Barça considered during the summer. He explained that once Inter made it clear their captain was unavailable, Barcelona decided not to continue negotiations.
The timing was significant.
Barcelona entered the summer looking for a new attacking option as the club planned for life beyond Robert Lewandowski. Álvarez was the major target, but Atlético Madrid refused to make him available. Lautaro subsequently emerged as an alternative, but Inter’s refusal meant Barça had to look elsewhere.
And Lautaro himself has also addressed the situation.
The Argentine recently said that Barcelona’s interest was an honour, but that his life is in Milan. He has chosen to remain at Inter and wants to continue achieving more with the Nerazzurri.
So despite the huge admiration from Barcelona, there was never a completed transfer.
Instead, Barça moved forward with other attacking options, including Gabriel Jesus and Karim Adeyemi, while the club has also found an unexpected solution by using Raphinha centrally. According to Reuters, Deco has since said that Barcelona has moved on from the previous pursuit of Lautaro and Álvarez.
But Laporta’s latest revelation adds an interesting chapter to the story.
He wanted Lautaro. Barça wanted Lautaro. Deco wanted Lautaro.
The only problem was that Inter wanted to keep their captain. 🔵🔴⚫
Lautaro remains under contract with Inter, and the Italian club’s position has been consistent: their captain is an important part of their project and was not available for transfer.
For now, the Argentine remains in Milan.
But Barcelona’s interest is now officially confirmed by the man at the top of the club himself.
Laporta made the call. Marotta said NO. And that’s where the Lautaro-to-Barça dream ended this summer. 😮💨🔥🔵🔴
