According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is a big fan of Lautaro Martinez and may seek a reunion with the Argentinian in north London.
Conte managed Martinez during his two seasons at Inter, where the duo enjoyed a fruitful partnership. Under the Italian’s tutelage, Martinez found the back of the net 40 times in 97 matches, while his goals helped the Nerazzurri win Serie A last campaign.
Now, as per O’Rourke, Conte may attempt to bring the forward to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he looks to continue his Spurs revolution. Speaking to GiveMeSport, he said: “I think Fabio Paratici is a big fan of Lautaro Martinez, as is Antonio Conte.
“If they get any indication that maybe a deal can be done, I’m sure they will consider it.”
TIF Thoughts on Tottenham’s Martinez pursuit…
Goals are not exactly a problem for Tottenham right now. They have scored at least twice in each of their last seven Premier League games, winning six, while they beat West Ham United, Newcastle United and Aston Villa 3-1, 5-1 and 4-0 respectively in their last three matches.
Martinez, though, would give Conte plenty of options. At the moment, Harry Kane is the only natural senior striker available to the manager, and Martinez would be a quality alternative to call upon. Conte could even play the 24-year-old alongside Kane – the former’s chemistry with Romelu Lukaku at the San Siro contributed to the Nerazzurri’s success. Interestingly, the Belgian even called him a ‘beast’.
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Currently, Kane plays the role of sole striker and playmaker, a burden that may be too much for even him to bear in the long run. Having Martinez to help in front of goal could allow the England captain to drop back and influence the game as he has done to devastating effect at times this term – no Spurs player has as many as his eight Premier League assists.
A Calciomercato report (via The Spurs Web) suggests Inter would be looking for €80m (£67m) – a considerable fee for Daniel Levy and co. However, Martinez is clearly a class act and very valuable to Inter – his release clause used to sit at €130m (£109m) – and his signing may help Spurs move to the next level.