The Spanish media revealed that Real Madrid jumped into the race to recruit the Argentinian striker, the leading target of rival Barca.
SPORT newspaper reported that in February Real Madrid tried to contact and persuade Martinez to sign a contract. However, the Argentine striker was not interested in the Bernabeu’s proposal when the talks between him and Barcelona were going well.
Therefore, Real Madrid will only be able to return to the Martinez deal in the summer of 2020. The 22-year-old’s contract release fee is up to 111 million euros.
The reason
The reason why Real Madrid constantly pursued Martinez is because rookie Luka Jovic did not meet expectations and Karim Benzema started showing signs of age. However, their plan is facing many difficulties because of competing with Barca.
Martinez prioritizes joining Barca more than any other club. He also informed BLD Inter Milan that he only wanted to move to the Camp Nou team. In addition, he expressed his desire to play with superstar Lionel Messi, Argentina team-mate.
How good is Martinez?
In the 2019/20 season, Martinez scored 16 goals and 4 assists for Inter after 31 appearances in all competitions. In Serie A alone, he scored 11 goals in 22 matches.
Martinez is praised by professionals for speed and finishing. Barca has long admired the talent of the Argentinian striker and sees him as a permanent replacement for Luis Suarez. However, to make this deal, Barca is considering plans to exchange Arturo Vidal or Ivan Rakitic with Inter to reduce the transfer cost of Martinez.
Barca can even sell 5 players Nelson Semedo, Arthur, Arturo Vidal, Carles Alena and Jean-Clair Todibo to have money to recruit Martinez. In the summer of 2019, Barca used to be very close to the Argentinian’s signature. However, they withdrew at the last minute when Inter asked for 80 million euros.