Man Utd given boost in Martinez pursuit as Inter still owe £43m for Lukaku

James Shearman

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

Manchester United have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Lautaro Martinez as a failed transfer payment by Inter for Romelu Lukaku has triggered a £43m debt.

Inter secured Lukaku’s services for €80m, to be paid in installments, but a clause was involved that meant any delay to payments would lead to a debt owed to United, according to Corrielle dello Sport.

This debt could now mean that the Red Devils are in a strong position to secure one of Inter’s top players, namely Argentine forward Lautaro Martinez.

An otherwise hefty price tag could have been reduced to something like writing off the debt plus an additional €20m, a fee that will entice a United board that have been reluctant to splash the cash on the likes of Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish in the past.

Man Utd are said to be pressuring the Italian club, with the proposal brought to the forefront of talks in recent days.

Why should Man Utd sign Lautaro Martinez?

Indeed, despite an impressive tally of 53 goals in 26 Premier League games, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to add reinforcements this summer in an attempt to close the performance gap on runaway leaders Manchester City.

City’s unrivalled squad depth has undoubtedly been a huge factor in their success, and so the Norwegian boss will be hoping for a number of additions to allow his side to compete for major honours next season.

Lautaro has registered 13 goals and five assists in 19 Serie A starts this campaign, a remarkable effort that would see him come in as an upgrade to struggling forward Anthony Martial at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, United also maintain an interest in centre-back Milan Skriniar, who would have otherwise cost a large fee too.

Solskjaer has lost trust in Eric Bailly due to the persistence of his injury struggles, while the pairing of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof has been found wanting on too many occasions.