Manchester United 'make Lautaro Martinez enquiry'

Manchester United have reportedly been in touch with Inter Milan to ask about Lautaro Martinez.

The 25-year-old joined Inter from Racing Club in July 2018, and he has represented the Italian giants on 194 occasions in all competitions, contributing 78 goals and 26 assists in the process.

Martinez has a contract at San Siro until June 2026, having signed an extension last October, but there has consistently been speculation surrounding his future over the last couple of seasons.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are two of the clubs believed to be long-term admirers, while Manchester City have also previously been credited with an interest.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Man United recently contacted Inter to discuss Martinez, with the Red Devils exploring the possibility of bringing him to Old Trafford in the near future.

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The report claims that Paris Saint-Germain also launched an enquiry, but Inter told both clubs that the centre-forward was not for sale under any circumstances.

Bayern Munich have also been credited with an interest, and Martinez's agent, Alejandro Camano, recently discussed his client's future.

"I'm not surprised by rumours on FC Bayern interest, there are always talks in football but he's focused on Inter," Camano told TyCSports. "We received crazy bids last summer but we decided to stay. In the future, everything can happen."

Martinez has scored three times and registered one assist in nine Serie A appearances this season, while he has scored once and provided one assist in four Champions League outings.

The Argentine found the back of the net and also provided an assist in Inter's 3-3 draw with Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

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Man United are expected to be in the market for a new centre-forward next summer, with Cristiano Ronaldo likely to leave the club on a free transfer.

The 20-time English champions have the option to extend the Portugal international's contract for a further 12 months, but all the signs are pointing to a departure from Old Trafford next year.

Anthony Martial was expected to begin this season as the team's number one forward, but he missed the start of the campaign with a hamstring problem and has since suffered Achilles and back issues.

Despite his impressive goal record for Inter, Martinez has failed to find the back of the net in Serie A since his strike against Cremonese at the end of August.