Barcelona were constantly in contacts with Inter Milan over the signing of Lautaro Martinez, however, the Catalans have now pulled out of the transfer as the Argentine, for at least another year will stay in Italy. The Catalan club have let go of Luis Suarez, who has joined Atletico Madrid on a free transfer and are now in the market for a new striker. Barcelona Transfer News Latest Update: Sergino Dest to Sign For Catalan Giants This Week.

According to a report from Italian news outlet Calcio Mercato, Barcelona have ended the pursuit of Lautaro Martinez, who they considered to be the ideal replacement for the now-departed Luis Suarez. The Catalan club were persistent to sign the Argentine forward in the summer but have pulled out after no agreement was reached between them and Inter Milan.

Barcelona very much expected that Inter Milan would lower the asking fee for the Argentine striker however, the Italian side did not budge on their asking price of €80 million (£73m/$93m) for their star player and due to lack of funds, the Catalan club decided against the signing of the highly-rated 23-year-old.

Lautaro Martinez enjoyed a breakthrough season last year which generated a lot of interest for the Argentine from several clubs around the world. But the 23-year-old has selected Barcelona as his preferred destination due to the possibility of linking up with his national team-mate Lionel Messi. The striker scored 21 goals in 41 appearances last season.

Lautaro Martinez was instrumental in Antonio Conte’s first season at the helm, linking up with Romelu Lukau to form a sensational partnership. However, they could not guide Inter to a trophy as they finished second in Serie A while losing in the finals of Europa League. The Argentine has started the new season in great form, scoring and assisting in the Italians 4-3 win against Fiorentina.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 28, 2020 08:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).