Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez by the Nerazzurri's CEO Giuseppe Marotta.
The Red Devils are understood to have identified Martinez as one of their top summer transfer targets as Erik ten Hag prioritises the signing of a new big-name number nine.
Having quickly made a name for himself in Europe, the 25-year-old has been tipped to move to the Premier League for a number of years, but he committed his future to Inter in October 2021.
Martinez's San Siro contract is not due to expire for another three years, but links with a switch to England have since resurfaced as Man United and Chelsea apparently prepare to battle for his signature.
A recent report claimed that the Red Devils were hoping to strike a player-plus-cash deal for Martinez, offering £44m and Anthony Martial to the Nerazzurri, although such a bid is likely to be rejected.
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Now, the Red Devils have been handed a setback by Marotta, who recently claimed that he can envisage Martinez being made Inter's skipper on a permanent basis one day.
"I think there are all the conditions for Lautaro to become our future captain," Marotta told reporters, as quoted by journalist Fabrizio Romano.
The Nerazzurri are currently captained by goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, but the Slovenian 38-year-old has been demoted to second choice this season behind Andre Onana and is set to leave when his deal expires this summer.
Similarly, stand-in skipper Milan Skriniar will swap San Siro for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer at the end of the season, and the centre-back has spent close to three months out with a back injury.
As a result, Martinez has worn the captain's armband on nine occasions this season, including in their Champions League semi-final first-leg win over AC Milan last week.
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Despite a disappointing World Cup on a personal level, where he failed to register a goal or assist in the entire tournament, Martinez has thrived in black and blue with 24 goals and 10 assists from 51 games in all competitions.
The former Racing Club attacker has 20 goals to his name in the 2022-23 Serie A campaign, three behind Napoli's Victor Osimhen (23) in the race for the Capocannoniere.
Since leaving his homeland five years ago, Martinez has amassed a total of 98 goals and 34 assists in 232 appearances for Inter, winning one Serie A title, one Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana crowns.
Even if Inter reject Man United's proposal including Martial, the Frenchman is still expected to be on the way out of Old Trafford this term alongside Burnley loanee Wout Weghorst, whose deal will not be made permanent.
Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane, Osimhen and Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani are considered Man United's top three attacking targets for the summer window, but the Red Devils face being priced out of moves for all three players, who are not expected to leave their current clubs for anything less than £100m.
Ben Knapton
