Lautaro Martinez has confirmed Barcelona contacted his representatives during the last transfer window, but the Inter Milan captain never considered leaving San Siro.
Barcelona reportedly viewed the Argentina striker as an alternative after their pursuit of Julian Alvarez stalled. The Catalan club made an approach, yet Martinez quickly made his position clear.
“The rumours were true,” Martinez told Sky Italia.
“When these offers and calls come in, it’s always a pleasure because you work to stay at the top. But I’m very clear about my intentions: I wanted to stay here with my teammates and with these magnificent fans.”
The 29-year-old has become one of Inter’s most important players since joining the club. He has also built a strong relationship with the supporters and now sees his future in Milan.
Martinez even suggested he would happily spend the rest of his career at Inter.
“I would stay forever, and as long as they want me, I’ll stay here,” he said.
The striker then offered a frank assessment of the football business.
“But we all know how it is in this business: when you’re no longer useful, they let you go.
“Inter means everything to me, pride, happiness and the desire to keep going. I’ve chosen to stay here again; I want to achieve great things at Inter.”
Martinez enjoyed another productive campaign, scoring 22 goals in all competitions and helping Inter win the Scudetto.
His form has also kept him firmly among Argentina’s leading forwards. He remains an important part of the national team after establishing himself at the highest level.
The striker admitted he never expected his Inter career to reach such heights.
“I never imagined reaching this point in my career with Inter, achieving all my goals,” he said.
“This motivates me to keep going; it’s my mentality. I try to give my all in every training session.
“In football, you never know what’s going to happen, but today I have a contract and I’m happy. I decided to stay because I feel good and I want to do great things at Inter.”
Martinez has a contract with Inter until 2029. Barcelona’s approach therefore failed to change the captain’s plans.
