As Barcelona continue to circle Lautaro Martinez, Inter may have to waste another summer on sorting out the Mauro Icardi saga.
Inter thought they had weeded Icardi out for good at the end of the 2019 summer transfer window, when Paris Saint-Germain seemed to answer their prayers.
PSG agreed a season-long loan for the striker with an option to buy worth a reported €65-70m – a huge sum considering the Nerazzurri had made no secret of their desire to shift him.
He appeared to settle in seamlessly, scoring 20 goals as part of a star-studded front line with the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
However, his wife and agent Wanda Nara – who engineered his exit from Inter – has done little to endear herself to the French giants.
After she first admitted PSG were the ‘worst’ option for her, Wanda then refused to confirm Icardi would be staying at the club permanently.
Now, it has emerged that she has already informed the Ligue 1 holders the 26-year-old wants to leave and return to Italy.
Not only does that put Inter back in a difficult position, but it also puts arch-rivals Juventus back in the driving seat, given they would like to bring in another centre-forward for the 2020-01 campaign.
Add to that Napoli pulling themselves out of the race, with sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli admitting Icardi is out of their reach.
It comes as speculation linking Martinez, the player who has replaced his fellow Argentine, with a move to Barcelona refuses to go away.
The latest story being spun is from Nicolo Schira, who claims the Catalans are trying to convince Inter into accepting full-backs Junior Firpo and Nelson Semedo as part of a swap deal.
However, the Beneamata would be demanding receipt of his €111m release clause as a bare minimum, providing they cannot tie Lautaro down to a new contract.
The prospect of replacing Luis Suarez as Barca’s long-term No 9 and playing alongside national hero Lionel Messi may be too good for Lautaro to refuse, as is the reported €10m salary on offer.
As it stands, there is not even an iota of a possibility that Icardi can play himself into Antonio Conte’s plans, despite being Inter’s most prolific goalscorer since Christian Vieri.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com