Lautaro Martinez kept improving and became the Serie A leading scorer in 2023-24, but his future at San Siro remains uncertain.
Lautaro Martinez’s goal tally in Serie A has increased steadily during his six-year stay at Inter. This season, the Argentinean inspired Inter’s title-winning campaign, becoming the best scorer in the league with 24 goals in 33 appearances.
El Toro had netted six times in 27 Serie A games in 2018-19, his first at the Stadio Meazza. There were significant improvements starting from the following campaign, which saw Lautaro find the net 14 times in 35 matches.
The following two seasons ended with a nearly identical record: 21 goals in 35 Serie A games in 2021-22 and the same amount in 38 matches in 2022-23.
Lautaro added three more league goals in 2023-24 becoming the Serie A Capocannoniere for the first time in his career.
Lautaro Martinez: Serie A leading scorer keeps improving
The 26-year-old was incredibly consistent this season, and one of the highlights of his 2023-24 was surely in Salerno, where Lautaro scored four times after coming off the bench and helping Inter secure a 4-0 win.
Lautaro only took a break from scoring in April, when he failed to get his name on the scoresheet in seven consecutive Serie A games, while his final goal this season came in a 5-0 victory against Frosinone at the Stadio Stirpe two weeks ago.
As Lautaro admitted in a recent interview, his record can be partially explained by a slight tactical change that saw him play as a pure centre forward with Marcus Thuram working to unlock defences and create space for his captain.
Inter have changed many forwards since Lautaro arrived six years ago, but the Argentinean has always proved to be an ideal strike partner for everyone, from Mauro Icardi to Edin Dzeko, from Romelu Lukaku to Thuram.
This season, El Toro has also had a key role off the pitch, as he was named the new captain in the summer of 2023. Advice from other dressing room leaders, such as Francesco Acerbi and Nicolò Barella, helped the Argentinean in his new role, but his commitment and attitude in every match proved Lautaro entered a new dimension this season.
Lautaro’s Inter future still uncertain
Inter fans hope this will also help negotiations between the Argentinean and the club. Both parties are willing to extend beyond 2026, but Beppe Marotta confirmed on Sunday night, before the last game of the season against Verona which Lautaro entirely spent on the bench, that the striker’s salary demands and the recent shift of power from Suning to Oaktree have slown negotiations down.
Of course, this doesn’t mean Lautaro will leave in the summer, as he still has two years left in his contract.
However, failing to reach an agreement in the coming weeks, would make Inter more vulnerable and Lautaro more inclined to listen to higher offers from other clubs.
Lautaro reiterated that he is happy at Inter and in Milan, but clearly, rumours and speculation about his future won’t cease until he puts pen to paper on a new agreement.
Time will tell if the Argentinean will keep improving at the Stadio Meazza in 2024-25 and help Inter reach the Champions League Final again. As Simone Inzaghi said last night, it’s time for Inter to celebrate but obviously, extending with Lautaro would be the best starting point for Oaktree’s new era.