Lionel Messi's words on Argentina teammate Lautaro Martinez will excite Arsenal fans with the Inter striker heavily linked to the club over a potential summer move. The legendary attacker Messi has played alongside Martinez for Argentina and is a big admirer of his game.
Arsenal are in the market for more than one striker this summer with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaving for Barcelona in the January transfer window and with both Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah poised to leave at the end of the current campaign, Mikel Arteta is seemingly under no illusions that he'll need to bolster his frontlines.
Martinez, 24, has been linked to a move to north London by The Times after a failed bid last summer. The Gunners reportedly were unable to match Inter's £60 million valuation last summer but Edu could return with another bid this time around, with Champions League football potentially on offer to the 24-year-old should Arsenal finish in the top four.
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Alongside Messi in attack, Martinez was a pivotal player in Argentina's Copa America title in 2021, with the former full of praise for his teammate - insisting he is the "complete" striker. Messi said: “He’s spectacular. He has impressive qualities. You could tell he was going to be a great player and he is showing that.
“He’s very strong, really good one-on-one, scores a lot of goals and in the area he fights with anyone, holds it up, he can turn, scrap to win it all on his own. He has a lot of quality. He’s very complete.”
Martinez's agent was asked about those comments from Messi at the time and, although the player was supposedly flattered by the complimentary remarks, he was adamant that his client wasn't taking any notice of the noise on his future. He told Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo: “Surely for Lauty it is a great compliment from the best in the world. I think that is very nice and comforting for him.
“He wears it as if nothing. Because he is only focused on his club but surely with great satisfaction knowing that he is doing things very well for all this. Lautaro has a five-year contract with Inter and the news that comes out are exclusively from the press.” Rumours have suggested Martinez has been unhappy with his playing time this season, with Edin Dzeko being preferred over him in some games, and is looking for a new challenge elsewhere as Arsenal continue to be linked.
