Lautaro Martinez is happy to stay at Inter despite Tottenham having agreed a £60 million ($83m) fee to sign the Argentine.
With Harry Kane looking for a way to leave Spurs this summer, the north London side are in the market for a new striker to lead the line.
Lautaro certainly fits the bill, but the player's agent has moved to pour cold water on a potential departure.
What has been said?
Alejandro Camano told FCInter1908.it: “Tottenham's offer? Lautaro is an Inter player and is happy in Italy.
"A contract renewal? Lautaro will never enter into conflict with the club. Never. This is the reality.”
When was Spurs' deal for Lautaro agreed?
Seemingly preparing for life without Kane, Goal can confirm that Spurs did agree a £60m fee with Inter some time before Chelsea began their big-money push to sign Romelu Lukaku.
With the Blues now having reached an agreement in principle for the £98m ($135m) transfer of the Belgian, selling Lautaro to Spurs would leave the Nerazzurri extremely short on numbers at the head of their attack.
Could the Lautaro transfer still happen?
At present, it is unclear what the Inter board intends to do.
They have already been on the receiving end of a huge fan backlash, with the news of Lukaku's impending departure seeing ultras promising to “act”, likely in the form of boycotts and protests, if more sales are made.
Having already sold Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain and seen Serie A-winning head coach Antonio Conte depart at the end of last season due to a difference in visions, supporters are understandably irked.
Why are Inter selling their Scudetto stars?
The coronavirus pandemic has hit Inter hard and the club's finances need to be balanced.
The sale of Lukaku – or Lautaro – would put the Italian outfit back in the black, but would also seriously reduce their goal threat as a team.
It appears that Inter's Chinese owners have made up their minds in terms of making sacrifices for the long-term financial health of the club – and the fan ire that comes with that.
How far they are willing to go in terms of further sales, however, remains to be seen.
Further reading
- Could Inter fan fury block Lukaku's Chelsea return?
- Tuchel on Lukaku: Lots of players want to join Chelsea
- Eriksen visits Inter training for first time since Euros