Lautaro Martinez’s agent says the Inter star is ignoring transfer speculation about his future, with Chelsea and Manchester City reportedly lodging offers for the striker.
Barcelona are also battling it out to sign Martinez, who has scored 16 times for Inter this season in all competitions.
Chelsea are prepared to pay Martinez a superior wage package than Barcelona and the player’s agent Beto Yaque has been speaking about how the rumours have affected the 22-year-old.
Yaque told Mundo Deportivo: ‘He treats it (the speculation) as if it is nothing, because he is only focused on his club.
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‘But surely there is great satisfaction knowing that he is doing things well.
‘Lautaro has a five-year contract with Inter and the news that comes out is exclusively generated by the press.’
Lionel Messi has been heaping praise on his Argentina team-mate and Yaque conceded it was a great honour for his client to be hailed by the Barcelona super star.
‘For Lautaro it is a great compliment from the best in the world,’ he said.
‘I think that is very nice and comforting for him.’
Chelsea and City will have a fight to convince Martinez to snub Barcelona, as the Catalan giants have identified the him as Luis Suarez’s successor at the Nou Camp.
Even Suarez has talked up a move for Martinez.
‘It is difficult to talk about players today,’ he told Mundo Deportivo when asked about the rumoured interest in Neymar and Martinez.
‘As is the situation in the world today, talking about who can come because of how everything is complicated. But I can speak about what these players are like and they are huge players.
‘Obviously, Ney, everyone knows him and we know the appreciation that we have for him in the dressing room, which as a player is indisputable because he still has a lot to give and in the dressing room he would always be welcome because of the affection he has.
‘Lautaro is a player who has been growing a lot in Italy, he is a nine who has movements that are spectacular and that reflects how great a striker he is.
‘It is not that you feel compatible but that you feel happy that the club wants to incorporate players who come to help and fulfil the same objective of everyone – that of wanting to win everything.
‘Then when it comes to healthy competition in the team, which there will always, we will always be on the same side.
‘So players who come to fight for a place and help the team will always be welcome, it will always be better and it will strengthen the group.’
MORE: Rivaldo tells Barcelona to prioritise signing Neymar over Chelsea transfer target Lautaro Martinez
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