Manchester United to battle Arsenal and Chelsea for £70m-rated Lautaro Martinez – report

Manchester United-linked Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan warms up prior to the Supercoppa Italiana match between AS Milan and Inter Milan at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 18 January, 2023.
(Image credit: Inter via Getty Images)

Lautaro Martinez will be at the centre of a three-way transfer tussle as Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all vie for the Inter Milan striker's signature, according to reports.

Martinez helped Argentina win the World Cup last year and is said to be open to a Premier League switch this summer, having scored 89 goals in 212 games for Inter – who he joined from Buenos Aires-based Racing Club four-and-a-half years ago.

According to Football Insider, the 25-year-old could be available for as little as £70m (he's currently valued at just over £66.5m by Transfermarkt).

Lautaro Martinez of Argentina lifts the World Cup trophy after Argentina beat France in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Qatar on 18 December, 2022.

Martinez played in all but one of Argentina's games at the 2022 World Cup (Image credit: Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)

For some context, such a fee would be below United and Chelsea's previous record transfer outlays: £89m for Paul Pogba and £106.8m for Enzo Fernandez respectively.

Arsenal haven't been able to match the spending power of their two Premier League rivals, although they did pay a touch over £70m for their record signing: mega-flop Nicolas Pepe.

United and Chelsea are both expected to be in the market for a new number nine this summer, with the two clubs having to somewhat improvise in the position for the time being.

As things stand, the Red Devils are using loanee Wout Weghorst as a stop-gap following Cristiano Ronaldo's acrimonious departure (although the goals have flowed from wide thanks to Marcus Rashford's remarkable renaissance) – while the Blues have yet to directly replace Romelu Lukaku, who endured a disastrous return to Stamford Bridge and is currently back at Inter on loan.

Romelu Lukaku of Inter Milan gestures as teammate Lautaro Martinez moves behind him during the Serie A match between Sampdoria and Inter Milan at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, Italy on 13 February, 2023.

From teammate to replacement? Martinez and Lukaku in action for Inter (Image credit: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)

Arsenal's don't have pressing need in that department, however: the Gunners signed Gabriel Jesus last summer and have seen Eddie Nketiah truly break through during the Brazilian's injury lay-off since the World Cup.

It would be something of a surprise to see Martinez wind up at the Emirates Stadium, but a battle between United and big-spending Chelsea – who splurged more than £300m in January alone – seems entirely possible.

The latest talk of Premier League interest comes after Martinez revealed that he went into the World Cup carrying an ankle injury, providing some explanation for his failure to score at the tournament.

More Manchester United stories

In other transfer news, it has been reported that United could get the chance to sign January loan arrival Marcel Sabitzer permanently from Bayern Munich this summer.

As for potential departures during in the transfer window, Harry Maguire could be on his way out of Old Trafford: the Red Devils are reportedly prepared to accept a £40m loss as they look to sell their captain.

Meanwhile, former United chairman Martin Edwards has spoken to FFT about how the club's 1991 European Cup Winners' Cup victory helped changed the perception of English football across the continent.

Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...