Manchester United have recently been linked with a move to sign two members of Inter‘s first-team squad in the summer, but Erik Ten Hag and his team will likely have to decide which player they would rather target, as chances of signing two stars of Simone Inzaghi’s squad in the same window seem slim.
On Monday evening, reports in the United Kingdom claimed that United could be in line to make a move to sign the prolific Lautaro Martinez from the Nerazzurri.
Erik Ten Hag’s side are widely documented to be on the hunt for an elite-level centre-forward to line up at Old Trafford before the start of next season.
As detailed by Football Insider, the Premier League giants could be prepared to offer the Nerazzurri up to €80m for El Toro if they fail to land their primary target Harry Kane from Tottenham.
However, Martinez is not the only Inter player United are currently keeping tabs on, with Andre Onana also on a list of potential signings for the summer to replace the ageing David De Gea in goal.
And, whilst it remains a possibility that Inter could sell one of their stars to lower the wage bill and raise much-needed capital gains amidst a period of financial instability, it seems unlikely that the club would be prepared to part ways with two such important senior figures in the same window.
Also, given Inter’s pursuit of Champions League football for next season and a desire to build on this season’s success in the competition, the chance of landing multiple members of Inter’s starting line-up becomes even less likely.
The case of Martinez in particular, who has been one of Inter’s most consistent performers under Inzaghi with 17 goals from 32 appearances this term and 75 from 167 in Serie A since his arrival from Racing in 2018, is a long shot.
Martinez’s potential departure would also leave the Nerazzurri damningly short on striking options, given the uncertainty over Romelu Lukaku’s future and the fact that Edin Dzeko will be 38 years of age by the end of next season.
Onana, on the other hand, could be more likely to leave San Siro, even if he only arrived less than a year ago, although reports claim that a move to London to join Chelsea is more likely than a move to Manchester.
Inter are already set for an upheaval in their goalkeeping department, with 38-year-old Samir Handanovic set to depart after an 11-year stay and goalkeeping coach Adriano Bonaiuti set to be replaced by Gianluca Spinelli at the end of the season.
With the club heading for a fresh start between the sticks and Inzaghi’s future at the club still unclear, it seems more likely that Inter will be more willing to replace Onana than they would Martinez, particularly if a big-money offer comes in for the Cameroonian.