According to a recent report by The Sun, reigning Premier League champions Manchester City are said to have emerged as front-runners in the race for the signature of Inter Milan’s prodigious Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez. The report suggests that the Citizens are willing to meet the youngster’s £97.5m release clause as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic crisis comes to a halt and that four other clubs are also attempting to secure his services.
It has been suggested in the report that fellow Premier League competitor Chelsea, as well as Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, are all keen on the youngster’s signature in the summer. Although this is the case, it has been clarified that Chelsea and the two La Liga sides are both either unwilling or unable to pay the Argentine striker’s mammoth release clause. City manager Pep Guardiola is said to view the striker as a long-term replacement to Sergio Aguero.
What Makes Lautaro Martinez Such An Attractive Prospect For Manchester City
The Argentine sensation has been one of the standout players across all the big European leagues this season, and with good reasons. His performance levels have been right up there since the opening day of the campaign, and at no point has the youngster looked like dropping off the pace. Adept at timing his attacking runs into space, the former River Plate academy graduate’s speed and intelligence make him nearly impossible to catch once on the run.
An excellent passer of the ball and possessing a good footballing brain as well, Martinez can play as part of the front-two or as a lone striker, depending on the situation. Despite looking reasonably diminutive in stature, the Argentine international boasts impressive upper body strength, which he uses to maintain balance quite efficiently. For all the good qualities that he does possess, one attribute that makes Martinez stand out from the rest is his ability to finish from improbable ranges, angles and situations.
Sergio Aguero is undoubtedly one of the best strikers to have ever graced the Manchester City shirt, and his main selling point is the fact that he seems to have the uncanny ability to create goals out of absolutely nothing. Aguero could have a terrible game for 80 minutes and then pop up with a hat-trick in the final ten minutes of the fixture, meaning that he can never be counted out. Lautaro Martinez seems to have a similar attribute in him, in that one can never predict how and when he’s going to put the ball into the net.
Would This Be A Smart Move By Pep Guardiola?
Over the last couple of seasons, the Spanish manager’s utilisation of the Citizens’ two strikers – Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, has been commendable. But for all the excellent work they’ve done, there’s no getting past the fact that Aguero is already past the magical 30-year mark.
Martinez, at 22, has an almost identical skill-set to Aguero, and would hence be a good signing by Pep Guardiola. His 12 goals from 22 fixtures are an impressive return for such a young forward, and bringing him to the Etihad this summer could secure the Manchester City striker’s role for a long time to come.
