Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has personally requested the signing of Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez during the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils have found form over the past few weeks. They are currently only six points behind Tottenham Hotspur, who are occupying the fourth spot.
Hence, the club have a genuine chance of qualifying for the Champions League and this could pave the way for huge investment at the end of the campaign.
According to Fichajes, Martinez has now been identified as one of the ‘big targets’ for United.
The signing of the Argentine is a personal request from the manager as he looks to take the Red Devils to a competitive level ahead of the 2024/25 season.
As thing stand, the future of Martinez is far from certain with his contract expiring in June 2026.
It is claimed that United could table an offer powerful enough to persuade Inter to sell.
The Serie A outfit need to balance their books again and Martinez could leave if no renewal is agreed.
Martinez deal could be difficult to pull off for United
The 26-year-old has been one of the best performing strikers in Serie A. He has 22 goals and five assists this term with 85 per cent of those contributions coming in the league.
Ten Hag reportedly has the desire to bring him to Old Trafford this summer, but the big question is how he would fit him into the team in the presence of Rasmus Hojlund.
Hojlund had a difficult start to his Premier League career, but he has been scoring for fun lately. The Dane has netted in each of his previous five league appearances for United.
Ten Hag could opt to play two up front next term, but that would disrupt the club’s tactics. He may need to adopt a diamond formation with Bruno Fernandes in central midfield.
Martinez is currently valued at €110 million by Transfermarkt. In our view, a deal is highly unlikely. United could instead focus on landing a young striker to compete with Hojlund for places.
It is unlikely that Martinez will accept a reduced role at another club. We also feel that the speculation over Martinez’s future is agent-driven to speed up contract talks at Inter.