The Sun has recently stated that Manchester City are eyeing a summer move for Inter Milan hotshot Lautaro Martinez after identifying him as their number one target to replace Sergio Aguero in the long-run. It is believed that the Mancunian side are willing to activate the Serie A striker’s £81m release clause, but will have to ship out a few players first so that they can fund the move for him during this summer transfer period (via The Sun).
Martinez’s Rollercoaster Of A Campaign At San Siro Recently
It was a season of mixed emotions for the Argentine forward as he ended up without any silverware around his neck despite scoring a lot of goals for the Italian outfit up top. Martinez deserves a heap of praise for his excellent performances alongside Romelu Lukaku in the offensive end of the field.
The 23-year-old participated in 49 matches for Inter in the previous campaign, scoring 21 goals and earning seven assists across all fronts. The Serie A star has impressed a lot with his attacking contributions based on his average of 3.5 shots, 0.9 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Italian top tier and European football last season. However, Martinez has only managed to complete 63% of his attempted passes in the league, which showcases his shortcomings when distributing the ball in the decisive end of the field (stats via whoscored).
The 17-time Argentine international’s season ended in bitter disappointment as he failed to help his side avoid defeat at the hands of Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League final on Friday night. Therefore, he might welcome the opportunity to make a fresh start at a club like Man City, where he can expect to win a lot of medals under Pep Guardiola’s masterful tutelage in the coming seasons.
What Will The South American Marksman Add To Pep Guardiola’s Side?
Martinez is a pacey and agile forward who loves to test the opposition keeper by getting some shots in at goal. He is skilled at finding space for himself and completing some dangerous dribbles in and around the opponent’s penalty area. The Argentine sensation has also got the strength to hold the ball up and get others into play in the final third. He has even proven himself to be a brilliant header of the ball that makes him such a potent goal-threat up top.
Guardiola once again failed to deliver the Champions League last season which has increased his need to strengthen his squad before the start of the new campaign. Someone of Martinez’s quality and goal-scoring prowess will undeniably be a marquee acquisition for Man City during this summer transfer period.
At 23, the Inter maestro will only get better and better with each year, so Guardiola will do well to prise him to the north-west of England in this off-season. He will be a perfect long-term replacement for Aguero and could arguably be an upgrade over Gabriel Jesus, who has impressed in patches for the Mancunian giants last season.
