Manchester United are set to rival both Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to sign Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez, Football Insider report.
The Lowdown: Striker shortage
Erik ten Hag only has just two senior centre-forward options on the books at Old Trafford at this moment in time, one of which is loanee Wout Weghorst. There is no option to make a move for Weghorst permanent in the summer, whereas Antony Martial has missed large parts of the season trough injury.
That has resulted in Marcus Rashford moving in from the left to a more central role from time to time, but the England international has been starring on the wing so the manager really needs to find a focal point for him to play off of.
The Latest: Martinez update
FI reporter Pete O’Rourke shared a story regarding Martinez in the last 48 hours, claiming that Martinez is on the wanted list at Old Trafford.
United look set to battle Chelsea and Arsenal for the World Cup winner, who ‘would be very keen on a potential move to the Premier League at the end of the season’.
O’Rourke added that a fee in the region of £70m-£80m would be enough for Martinez’s services.
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The Verdict: Get it done
Martinez has contributed to 120 goals in 212 appearances for Inter Milan and is still just 25 years of age, so you could argue that he is about to enter the peak years of his career. Lionel Messi has also hailed the player as “spectacular”, with Martinez contributing to 22 goals in 31 games during the current campaign.
He has been Inter’s best-performing player this season with a match average rating of 7.28/10, as per WhoScored, a score which outperforms every United player apart from Bruno Fernandes.
Therefore, you could say that Martinez and Fernandes could form a frightening duo in Manchester next season, with Rashford able to continue his fine form on the left-hand side, so hopefully, a transfer will gather pace over the coming months.