Barcelona could finalise long transfer chase for star as swap deal becomes a real possibility | OneFootball

Barcelona were linked with Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez for most of last summer, but they just didn’t have the money to make it happen and he stayed in Serie A to have a successful season.

It was almost inevitable that those links would start up again, and it could be a fascinating all-Argentine front three if he could be deployed alongside Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero.

Again money does look like a serious issue here, but a report from Sport has indicated that the interest is still there and there may be a slight chance of something happening.

Circumstances do go into Barca’s favour this time around as his contract is up in 2023 so that’s a concerning situation for Inter, while the actual asking price could be lower than it was last year.

The main x-factor in any potential transfer is Emerson Royal, and it’s going to depend on Achraf Hakimi and if he does make an expected move to either PSG or Chelsea this summer.

It’s claimed that Emerson is seen by Inter as the ideal replacement so that would open up the potential of a swap deal, but unless they have interest in any other Barca players then the Catalan side will still need to stump up a serious amount of money.

It looks unlikely, but it’s one to keep an eye on if Hakimi does move on.