‘Barca not giving up on Lautaro’

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman is refusing to give up on Lautaro Martinez as it emerges his club only offered Inter an initial €15m to sign the striker.

Barca have long set their sights on Martinez and speculation threatens to boil over again following Luis Suarez’s transfer to Atletico Madrid.

When asked about moves for the Argentine or Memphis Depay, Koeman made it clear his club were not ‘ruling out’ anything.

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman is refusing to give up on Lautaro Martinez as it emerges his club only offered Inter an initial €15m to sign the striker.

Barca have long set their sights on Martinez and speculation threatens to boil over again following Luis Suarez’s transfer to Atletico Madrid.

When asked about moves for the Argentine or Memphis Depay, Koeman made it clear his club were not ‘ruling out’ anything.

“I won’t rule anything out but, as I said, I’m focusing on the players at my disposal,” he said at a press conference.

“Barca must always be prepared to bolster their squad.”

Despite the coach’s optimism, Tuttosport and Marca report how Barca proposed to pay just €15m up front, with the rest to follow in add-ons.

Fabrizio Romano, meanwhile, states Barca’s top target is Olympique Lyonnais forward Depay, who worked with Koeman in the Netherlands set-up.

Lautaro, for his part, posted a picture of himself wearing Inter’s new third shirt with the caption, “new shirt, new season. Forza Inter.”