Lautaro Martinez Was Ready to Join Barcelona But Never Became a Priority

Barcelona explored several striker options during the summer after making Julian Alvarez their primary target, and it has now emerged that Lautaro Martinez was also open to making the move to Catalonia.

The Inter Milan captain was reportedly prepared to join Barcelona as a potential successor to Robert Lewandowski.

However, despite his willingness to make the switch, the Argentine never became a priority for the Catalan club.

Lautaro Was Open to Barcelona Move

Barcelona spent much of the summer attempting to convince Atlético Madrid to sell Alvarez.

Once it became clear that Atlético had no intention of allowing their star striker to leave for a direct rival, Barça began considering alternatives.

One of those options was Lautaro Martinez.

Sporting director Deco later confirmed that the Inter forward was among the players Barcelona had explored during their search for a new attacking option.

According to Diario SPORT, Lautaro was willing to join Barcelona.

The Argentine was reportedly prepared to leave Inter, but only under the condition that an agreement could be reached between the two clubs.

His loyalty to Inter meant he did not want to force his way out of the San Siro.

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Inter Milan Did Not Have a Replacement

The situation ultimately became complicated because Inter were not prepared to lose their star striker without having a replacement lined up.

According to the report, the Italian club denied that Barcelona had made a serious approach for Lautaro.

From Inter's perspective, selling the Argentine without being able to bring in another forward would have created a major problem for the squad.

That effectively closed the door on the potential transfer.

But there was another reason why the move never developed further.

Alvarez Was Always Barcelona's Priority

Despite considering Lautaro, Barcelona's preference remained clear.

Julian Alvarez was the club's primary target.

The Catalans continued hoping that Atlético Madrid might eventually change their position, with the pursuit reportedly continuing until very late in the transfer window.

That meant Lautaro was never treated as the main alternative.

Once Barça finally accepted that the Alvarez deal would not happen, the club quickly moved towards another solution.

Gabriel Jesus Became the Solution

Barcelona eventually reached an agreement with Arsenal for Gabriel Jesus, who became the practical alternative.

The financial structure of the deal was considerably more manageable for Barça, while the Brazilian also accepted a reduction in salary.

That made registering him with La Liga significantly easier.

Lautaro's situation was different.

His salary package would have created considerably more difficulty for Barcelona's wage-management and registration calculations.

So even though the Argentine was reportedly willing to move, the financial circumstances made the deal far less straightforward.

A Transfer That Never Became Realistic

The Lautaro situation therefore highlights an important distinction in Barcelona's summer planning.

The Argentine was apparently open to joining the club, but Barcelona's interest never reached the point where they prioritised making the transfer happen.

Their first choice remained Alvarez, while Gabriel Jesus ultimately emerged as the financially viable solution once Atlético refused to negotiate.

Lautaro stayed at Inter, where he remains an important part of the Italian club's plans.

For Barcelona, meanwhile, the summer striker search ended with a completely different solution — and Raphinha's extraordinary form as a central attacker has since made the decision look even less urgent.

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