Report reveals how close Inter Milan captain had come to join Barcelona five years ago | OneFootball

Following their win over Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, FC Barcelona are now set to face Inter Milan in the semi-finals of the competition.

The quality that the two teams possess makes this tie a special affair for both clubs. However, this match will be particularly special for one player in particular.

This player is the Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez, who was once the main target of the Blaugrana club to lead their offensive line. In fact, Mundo Deportivo has published a report outlining how close he came to joining Barcelona, and how the operation ultimately failed.

Two weeks after their elimination from the UCL at the hands of Liverpool in May 2019, the Catalans had to play the final of the Copa del Rey against Valencia at the Benito Villamarin. However, their main striker at the time, Luis Suarez, decided to undergo surgery without informing the club doctors, as he wanted to be fit for the upcoming Copa America.

This did not really sit well with the Blaugrana club or the dressing room, and it was decided to part ways with the Uruguayan. Lautaro was identified as his replacement, and work began to ensure the Argentine’s signing for the summer of 2020.

For this purpose, two Barcelona executives, Ramon Planes and Oscar Grau, travelled to Miami to meet with the striker’s agents in March 2020. There, the two parties were in the final stages of reaching an agreement, and the Catalans got the approval of the striker to negotiate with Inter Milan for his transfer. The Blaugranes had already set aside €60 million for this transfer.

However, the two Barcelona executives had to rush back to Spain as COVID-19 caused governments throughout the world to close their airspaces and to confine their citizens. Initially, the lockdown was expected to last only 3 weeks, but things continued to complicate, and the Blaugranes lost important sources of income, i.e., their stadium and museum.

This loss of income made any move for Lautaro unfeasible for the Catalans. However, Luis Suarez still ended up leaving and joined Atletico Madrid.

Now, five years after that episode, the Argentine will visit Barcelona as the captain and leader of an Inter Milan side that aims to reach the final of the UCL at the Blaugranes’ expense.