“Wait until the summer” – Fabrizio Romano reveals message Arsenal received in their pursuit of player termed ‘spectacular’ by Messi
Arsenal have been told by Serie A champions Inter Milan to wait until the summer in their pursuit of forward Lautaro Martinez, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Romano has stated that Arsenal are looking to sign an 'important striker' be it in January or in the summer. The Gunners are interested in bringing in Lautaro Martinez but have been told by Inter Milan to wait until the summer transfer window.
Speaking on his Here We Go podcast (via HITC), Fabrizio Romano said:
“Arsenal’s plan, from what I’m told, is to sign an important striker in the coming months. Let’s see if it’ll be January or the summer. They were interested in Lautaro Martinez but Inter said: ‘No, wait until the summer.'”
Lautaro Martinez has been one of Inter Milan's key players since his move from Racing Club back in 2019. The 24-year-old forward has many admirers including seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi. The Argentine, who captains Martinez whilst on international duty, labeled the Inter Milan forward 'spectacular' back in 2020.
Lautaro Martinez has been in a rich vein of form for a couple of seasons now. The 24-year-old has already scored eight goals in 14 Serie A games this season. The Argentinian forward could be an excellent recruit for a goal-shy Arsenal side struggling to find consistency in the Premier League.
Fabrizio Romano:
“#Arsenal’s plan, from what I’m told, is to sign an important striker in the coming months.
Let’s see if it’ll be January or the summer. They were interested in Lautaro Martinez but Inter said: ‘no, wait until the summer’. 🧵 1/2 https://t.co/xu1sd37hhu
Arsenal have struggled to find a consistent source of goals this season
Arsenal have struggled to find a consistent source of goals this season, which has resulted in them dropping valuable points. The Gunners were heavily reliant on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for goals in previous seasons. However, the Gabonese forward has been out-of-form so far in the current campaign.
As things stand, Aubameyang has scored just four goals in 14 Premier League matches. Due to his inconsistent form, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has even given chances to Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette. However, the pair have scored just one league goal between them.
Arsenal have been overly-reliant on youngsters like Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe for goals this season. Signing a forward will therefore make sense for Arsenal despite already spending close to €140 million in the summer transfer window.
Lautaro Martinez is not the only forward Arsenal have shown interest in. The Gunners have also been linked to Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski and Club Brugge star Noa Lang. However, the aforementioned pair are both natural wingers, unlike Martinez, who is a proven centre forward.
"The fact Nketiah was brought on before Aubameyang and Pepe speaks to a bigger problem surrounding Arsenal’s attacking players."
Does Arteta have a plan for his attack?
@gunnerblog, @amylawrence71 and @iandstone discuss...
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