08 February 2024 , 05:17
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Manchester United have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of Lautaro Martinez with Inter Milan confident of tying down the forward down to a new contract.
United and Chelsea have been linked with the Argentina international over the past 18 months as he continues to impress for Inter. Martinez is the top scorer in Serie A with 19 goals in 20 matches this season - seven more than the next best in Dusan Vlahovic at Juventus.
The 26-year-old has just under two-and-a-half years left on his contract, but Inter are already keen to extend his stay. The club's director Piero Ausilio has provided an update on a potential new deal for Martinez and he is positive that an agreement will be reached.
Asuilio said, via Fabrizio Romano: "I'm sure we will reach an agreement as we both want to continue together. It's just about being patient." Martinez joined Inter from Racing Club for around £19million in 2018 and he has since gone on to become one of Inter's most important players.
After struggling to find his feet in his first season, Martinez went on to form a dynamic partnership with Romelu Lukaku and the pair helped fire Inter to the Europa League final in 2020. Although Martinez's campaign ended on a sour note as they lost 3-2 to Sevilla, he finished on 21 goals in 45 games.
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Martinez continued to be a pivotal figure for Inter as they lifted the Serie A title the following year, with the striker scoring 17 times in 38 outings. He impressed in each of the following two seasons and netted a career-best 28 goals last term, which heightened transfer interest from the likes of United last summer.
However, back in November, his agent, Alejandro Camano detailed plans to sit down with Inter to thrash out talks over a new deal. "We have a great relationship with the Nerazzurri," he told FC Inter News. "And we're talking about getting together to discuss Martinez's renewal.
Lautaro Martinez has scored 22 goals in all competitions this season (Getty Images)"Inter want to renew Lautaro's contract. And we want to extend. There will be no problems. We'll see them in the next few days or weeks. We are talking about a very important player for Inter and about a very important club for Lautaro. It's not just money that matters.
"The project, the sporting trajectory, what is happening, the fact that everything is going well and Inter's sentiment are also important. There are various factors. Lautaro is not just about money. Lautaro also has a feeling for the club, a city that loves him and that he loves."