Saudi Arabian side make stunning £52 million-per-season contract offer to Chelsea target – Reports
A Saudi Pro League side have reportedly lodged a massive £52 million-per-season contract offer to Chelsea target Lautaro Martinez.
Martinez, 25, has reportedly been on the Blues' list of potential striking targets since the start of last month. He has been marked as a potential summer sale as Inter Milan are in dire need of cash ahead of the next season, as per reports.
A right-footed clinical finisher, the 48-cap Argentina international relished his best-ever season in terms of his offensive numbers in the last campaign. He scored 28 goals and laid out 11 assists in 56 games across competitions for the Nerazzurri past season, lifting two trophies in the process.
According to TyC Sports, Martinez has received a massive offer to reconsider his future at his club this summer. He has yet to instruct his agents to begin talks over the potential £208 million deal stretched over four years.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, are reportedly likely to put up a fight to keep hold of their star ahead of the start of the upcoming 2023-24 season. They are hoping to initiate a bidding war for the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner with Chelsea also likely to enter the race soon.
Earlier last month, journalist Dean Jones claimed that the Blues could be keen to snap up Martinez this summer. He told GiveMeSport:
"Thus far, there haven't been any offers for Lautaro from any club. However, there's a belief at Chelsea that even if they secure the signing of Nicolas Jackson, there will still be room for another striker. With the likely departures of Kai Havertz, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Romelu Lukaku, a vacancy arises in the forward line."
Should Martinez seal a move to the Blues this summer, he would emerge as a vital starter for them. He could form a good partnership with summer arrival Christopher Nkunku behind him in a number 10 role.
Who all could be Lautaro Martinez's striking competitors should he transfer to Chelsea?
Chelsea have been steadily rebuilding their squad after their shocking 12th-placed finish in the Premier League last season. They have parted ways with 11 first-team players and signed four new faces this summer.
As things stand, the Blues are thought to go into the 2023-24 season with Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja as their two number nine options with Christian Nkunku also capable of fitting into the role. They are believed to be keen on offloading Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in this transfer window.
Jackson, who arrived from Villarreal for £30 million earlier this summer, impressed with his steady performances past campaign. The 22-year-old Senegalese scored 13 goals and laid out five assists in just 2116 minutes of action for the La Liga outfit last time around.
Broja, on the other hand, spent the majority of last term out injured with an anterior cruciate ligament problem after returning from a fruitful loan spell at Southampton. The 21-year-old scored one goal in 465 first-team minutes for a struggling Chelsea side past campaign.