Lautaro Martinez has shattered every hope that Chelsea had in convincing him to switch from Internazionale to Stamford Bridge with his latest comments committing his future to his club.
The Blues have been linked with Martinez as they seek another attacker in the transfer window. Despite having the talents of Kai Havertz, Romelu Lukaku, and Timo Werner who are supported by the likes of Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, their top scorer was a midfielder, Mason Mount.
There are also reports of Lukaku seeking avenues for an exit after a turbulent return to the club from Internazionale where he partnered with Martinez to great effect.
Chelsea were looking to bring the Argentine to Stamford Bridge in the summer, possibly to partner Lukaku once more and help the struggling striker get back to his best. however, El Toro has put to bed all speculation with his latest comment made to the media while on international duty with Argentina.
“My plan is clear, I really want to stay at Inter next season,” he said. “I’ve not received communications from the club as of today, I want to continue at Inter next season.”
Inter Milan had reportedly been in talks with Chelsea over the move and had agreed on a £59 million transfer fee for the player. However, it looks now like a long shot.
The Nerazzurri have recently lost one key attacker, Ivan Perisic, who joined up with former coach Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur to fulfil a dream of playing in the Premier League. They are also likely to lose their defender, Alessandro ‘Borja’ Bastoni to the same coach.
Losing Martinez, who ended the season as their top scorer and led the club from the front to two titles – the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana – will significantly throw off their chances of reclaiming the Scudetto which they lost to city rivals AC Milan.
Thomas Tuchel to get £200 million war chest for Chelsea rebuild
Chelsea, meanwhile, will be losing a lot of players in the summer. They have already lost centre backs Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen and could be losing Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso.
A rebuild is imperative and for that reason, the new owners of the club have signed off on a £200 million budget for a squad rebuild, which will start with the defence.
Other attackers linked to the club alongside Martinez are Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele and Neymar. Dembele is the only name whose links are strong in the media but with a long summer on the way, there could be surprises.
