"The rumors were true." Lautaro Martínez said it himself at the Gran Gala del Calcio on Wednesday night — Barcelona did approach him this summer, and Inter's striker chose to stay anyway.
The 29-year-old Argentina international was collecting the Serie A Best Forward award when Sky Italia asked him about the Barça links that had swirled throughout the transfer window. He didn't dodge it. He confirmed the contact, called it an "honor", and then explained why it went nowhere: his kids are in school in Milan, he has a restaurant there, and the fans have treated him like family since day one.
That's not a man being diplomatic. That's a man who's settled.
Two clubs, one answer
Barcelona weren't the only ones who tried. The Daily Mail reports that Arsenal also made a move — a late one. Assistant manager Gabriel Heinze, himself Argentine, reportedly called his compatriot directly during the final stretch of the window. Inter shut it down before it went anywhere, "refusing to entertain any kind of deal." The player's position on the matter didn't even come into the conversation.
That detail matters. Inter weren't selling at any price, which is a different situation from a player turning down a move. Whether Martínez would've been more tempted had Arsenal come in earlier — when Inter might've had time to find a replacement — is the question the report leaves hanging.
Barcelona ended the window without a marquee striker. Their public pursuit of Julián Alvarez went nowhere, Alvarez stayed at Atlético Madrid, and they eventually signed Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal for around €10 million as a consolation prize. Arsenal, meanwhile, left deadline day without adding any attacking reinforcement at all.
What this means going forward
Martínez has three years left on his contract at San Siro. He scored 22 goals in all competitions last season as Inter won Serie A, and he's now been named in the Serie A Team of the Year — alongside four Inter teammates — for the 2025-26 campaign. At his level, his age, and with that contract length, Inter hold all the cards.
For anyone pricing up Serie A title odds, the fact that Inter kept their best player while Barcelona are still patching together a frontline tells you something about where the power sits right now.
"As long as they want me, those who are needed at Inter will be here," Martínez said. The clubs that came calling this summer got their answer.
