‘Lautaro move to Barca is practically closed’ - Lautaro's ex-club president

A big-money transfer that will take Lautaro Martinez from Inter to Barcelona is “practically closed”, according to Carlos Pablo, president of the Argentine striker’s former club Liniers de Bahia Blanca.

Talk of another South American frontman making his way to Camp Nou has been building steadily over recent weeks. Barca are said to have made Lautaro a top target for the next window, with a lucrative contract drawn up for the 22-year-old in Catalunya.

The Liga giants will also need to find a sizeable transfer fee in order to get a deal over the line, with Inter not about to part with a prized asset for any less than his full market value.

Plenty to stand to benefit if an agreement is reached, with Liniers de Bahia Blanca among them as they included a sell-on clause in discussions which allowed the youngster to head for Racing in 2014.

Pablo believes a cash windfall for his side is now close, with Barca merely waiting on the right moment to announce that Lautaro will be joining their ranks.

He told Radio del Plata: “It may be crazy, but the money we’ll receive makes us tremble, not despair. We’ll be able to do lots of things with that money, but it’s not something we’re discussing on a daily basis.

“We’re very excited about what Lautaro Martinez is doing right now. It’s an unusual and extraordinary situation for us.

“My feeling is that the deal with Barca is practically closed, but I don’t think they’ll tell us anything yet. Maybe they’re waiting for the season to restart.

“We’ve retained 20 per cent of the capital gain Racing will receive, which we negotiated with [Racing owner] Víctor Blanco at the time of his transfer to Inter, in addition to the solidarity mechanism, which represents 1.59 per cent of his gross transfer value.

“If the transfer of Lautaro takes place, it’ll be the biggest of this market. Maybe there won’t be so much money and there will be some differences in terms of payment or something similar.

“I talked to him 10 days ago and I never mentioned the topic [of a transfer]. I have a lot of respect for the player’s peace of mind.

“However, the truth is that I have friends in Spain and they tell me people don’t want about anything else. If you think of the names that could be joining Barcelona, what a great team they’re building!”

Lautaro’s links to Barca have divided opinion, with some suggesting that he should remain in Italy, but it now appears to be only a matter of time before he is added to a star-studded squad alongside fellow countryman Lionel Messi at Camp Nou.